The agricultural organization Asaja Córdoba has communicated this Thursday that next Saturday, October 17, "the big game hunting season begins and, with it, the drives, hooks, and battues," some "hunting modalities of great social and economic significance." This start comes, "fortunately," after a "summer period in which the incidence of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) has been, like last year, little more than testimonial, so the livestock is presented in perfect sanitary conditions" and, therefore, "the sector faces the start of the season with great enthusiasm and expectation, despite the temperatures and the fact that it has rained little in recent weeks and in a very irregular manner in the forest areas and the dehesas."
According to the agricultural employers' association in a note, "regarding the state of the livestock (deer, wild boar, fallow deer, and mouflon), thanks to the abundant rains of last spring and the abundance of pastures throughout the summer, they are in very good condition" and, regarding "the trophies, for the deer or the fallow deer, given the availability of food this year, it is to be expected that they will be slightly superior to those of last season." It also reminds that the hunting trophies of these species "are forged, mainly, with the availability of food in the autumn, in addition to that of spring."
On the economic front, Asaja emphasizes that "the prices of big game meat remain low. In the case of deer, the prices of the meat, according to the latest markets held (hunting meat tables of Extremadura and Ciudad Real), are around 2.20 euros per kilo, depending on the sizes of the batches," and that "the same happens with wild boar meat, which in this case has been around 0.80 euros per kilo."
Expansion of the wild boar and hunting emergency
Regarding the wild boar, Asaja Córdoba has warned about "the unstoppable expansion of the wild boar, not only at the territorial level but also concerning the number of animals. It is a very rustic species, that breeds well and adapts to any type of environment, both agricultural and forested, which is why its expansion is constant."
In this sense, remember that "the hunting season begins in the midst of a declaration of hunting emergency for this species, due to the problems it usually causes, at the level of damage to agriculture, traffic accidents or health-related damage to the livestock, among others. The entire province of Córdoba is declared in emergency for this species, hence the importance, and the necessity to hunt it to adequately reduce its populations."
Finally, Asaja Córdoba focuses on safety during hunting days and highlights the relevance of "safety in hunting, to prevent accidents," which is why it makes a "call for responsibility in this regard, given that there are many people involved in hunting," reminding that, "in addition to the hunters, we must take into account the rest of the participants in this type of events, such as catering staff, secretaries, shepherds, dog handlers, butchers, muleteers, veterinarians, taxidermists, etcetera."