The hunting market - France (2024)

1.2 Global market

At both global and European level, data on the hunting sector is patchy and dated. However, we do know that the United States, with its relatively flexible gun-licensing laws in most states, is a major player in this sector. It therefore seems interesting to look at the evolution of the number of hunting licenses in the country.

Evolution of the number of hunting licenses * United States, **** - ****, in millions Source: ****

The evolution of the number of hunting licenses in the United States from **** to **** shows a general upward trend. In ****, the number of hunting licenses was **.** million. In ****, this number is forecast to reach **.** million.

This represents an increase of *.**% over this period. This increase is not linear, with some notable declines in **** and ****, but the overall trend remains positive.

A study by FACE (***) published in **** provides the main indicators of the size of the hunting market in Europe. According to this study, there are *.* million hunters in Europe. What's more, these hunters spend an average of *,*** euros a year on their hobby. The European hunting market is therefore worth an estimated ** billion euros.

The hunting market also employs a large number of people, foremost among them the following professions:

Shotgun ...

1.3 A national market suffering from declining volumes

A good indicator of the size of the French hunting market is the number of hunting licenses validated each season:

Evolution of the number of hunting licenses France, ****-****, in millions of permits Source: ****

This has been falling steadily since its peak in ****. In ** years, the annual number of new hunters has almost halved (***) decided in **** under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, has not had the effect of stemming this fall, since its only effect has been to change the distribution of license types in favor of the national license.

For the ****-**** season, the number of validated hunting licenses totaled ***,***.

Market sales are estimated at *.* billion euros in ****. [***]

1.4 France, a net importer of shotguns

The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, or Harmonized System (***), is an international nomenclature developed by the world's customs organization to classify products traded internationally. Three different codes cover the shotgun sector:

******** - Shotguns and rifles for hunting or sporting purposes, smooth-bore (***) ******** - Shotguns and rifles for hunting or sporting purposes, with one or two smooth-bore barrels combined with a rifled barrel, and double-barrelled rifles ******** - Rifles and carbines for hunting or sporting purposes, incorporating at least one rifled barrel (***)

Balance of trade in hunting rifles and shotguns France, ****-****, € million Source: ****

France is therefore a major importer of hunting rifles and shotguns, and the French deficit in this sector is even widening. In ****, the coverage rate was around *.**%. By ****, it had fallen to *.**%. This indicates a decline in the shotgun sector's ability to cover its imports with its exports.

Shotgun imports France, ****, € thousand Source: ****

Italy is by far France's leading supplier of shotguns, accounting for **% of the country's total imports. France's second-largest supplier is Turkey, with **% of imports.

Shotgun exports France, ****, € thousand Source: ****

France's biggest shotgun customers are the USA, followed by Morocco. between them, they account for over **% of French exports. South Africa and the United Kingdom are ...

2.1 Typical hunter profile

age

Hunters by gender France, ****, in Source: ****

The overwhelming majority of hunters are male, with women representing just *.*% of licensees in ****. However, this figure has been rising sharply over the past decade. In ****, women accounted for *.*% of licensees.

age

Breakdown of hunters by age France, ****, in Source: ****

**% of hunters are over **. The most represented age category is **-** (***), despite their age, demonstrating that hunting is a leisure activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Socioprofessional category

Hunters by socio-professional category France, ****, in Source: ****

Executives, senior managers or higher intellectual professions and blue-collar or white-collar workers each account for **% of all hunters. These are the two professional categories most represented among hunters.

Intermediate professions also account for a significant share, with **% of the total. Farmers make up **% of all hunters, while craftsmen and tradesmen account for just *%.

Homemakers and students are the least represented among hunters, with only *% and *% of the total respectively.

It's clear, then, that hunting is an activity that attracts individuals from a wide range of professional backgrounds, but it is particularly popular among managers, executives, higher intellectual professions, blue-collar workers and white-collar employees.

Geography

Distribution of hunters by place of residence France, ****, in Source: ...

2.2 Hunters' expenses

Hunter's personal expenses

Average expenditure by item France, ****, in Source: ****

The majority of expenditure is devoted to the purchase of a vehicle for hunting, which accounts for **% of total expenditure. Equipment is the second largest expenditure item at **%, followed by hunting access fees and territory maintenance at **%. Expenditure on transport, accommodation and catering accounts for **% of total expenditure. Hunting auxiliaries, which include dogs and other hunting aids, represent the smallest item of expenditure at *% of the total.

Expenditure on hunting animals

Dog-related expenditure by item France, ****, in Source: ****

The main expense related to hunting dogs is food and insurance, which account for almost a third of the budget each, far ahead of veterinary costs (***).

Horse-related expenses by item France, ****, in Source: ****

For their horses, hunters invest mainly in feed (***). Together, these three items account for **% of total expenditure.

A comparison of expenditure items for dogs and horses reveals that the main items are food and insurance, and health costs, which are very high for horses.

2.3 Public opinion is generally anti-hunting

An increasingly controversial practice

Hunting is increasingly disapproved of by the French population. Whereas in ****, **% of French people were opposed to the practice, in **** this figure had risen to **%, an increase of +* points in two years [***].

Percentage of French people opposed to hunting France, **** - ****, in % IPSOS ****, IPSOS ****

Reasons for rejecting hunting in France

The majority of French people who consider hunting to be problematic are motivated in particular by safety concerns, and this opinion is increasingly shared in France. Whereas in ****, **% of the population felt unsafe walking in nature during the hunting season, in **** this opinion was shared by **% of the population(***)[***]

Do you personally feel safe walking in nature during hunting season? France, ****, in Source: ****

One of the reasons why the French are against hunting is that they feel unsafe walking in the countryside during the hunting season. **% of them say they don't really feel safe in the countryside during the hunting season.

You personally, would you be in favor or not in favor of Sunday becoming a non-hunted day? France, ****, in % Source: ****

In ****, according to an IFOP survey, the overwhelming majority (***) of French people would be in favor of making Sundays, school vacations and weekends non-hunting days. This ...

2.4 Hunters' motivations

Hunters' primary motivation is the privileged contact with nature that this activity provides.

Hunters' main motivations France, ****, in Source: ****

Conviviality and contact with one's dog are the other two main motivations. But hunters also emphasize the benefits of eating their own game:

"What are your two main motivations for eating game meat?" France, ****, in % Source: ****

Indeed, the pleasure of consuming the product of one's hunt is the motivation most cited by respondents (***). Finally, the third most cited motivation is the natural provenance of game meat.

In the course of their hunting activities, hunters may experience confrontations with anti-hunting individuals, threatening the continuity of their activity and their motivation.

"In the last ** months, have you been confronted with any of the following situations?" France, ****, in % Source: ****

For example, **% of respondents said they had been the victim of insults or threats in the last ** months. Vandalism and obstruction to hunting are less widespread, but still present (***).

The most striking figure concerns the proportion of hunters who have been negatively viewed because of their hunting status: this is the case for almost half of them.

3.1 Hunting industry value chain

Source: ****

3.2 French hunting companies threatened by deindustrialization and foreign competition

Firearms:

The weakness of French shotgun exports (***) has been exacerbated over the past ** years by the closure of the famous Manufacture Française d'Armes et de Cycles de Saint-Etienne, better known as Manufrance, whose famous "Robust" shotgun has delighted generations of hunters. The shotgun market was fueled by demand from a large contingent of hunters. In the ****s, ***,*** rifles and shotguns were sold annually, compared with **,*** in ****.

Since the closure of Manufrance, * out of ** guns used in France are imported.

The last segment in which French producers are doing well is the express rifle, perfectly suited to the way big game is hunted in France (***). Chapuis Armes and Verney Caron, both based in the Saint-Etienne region, contribute to maintaining French know-how in this sector. [***]

Ammunition :

Source: ****

Among the main suppliers of cartridges to the French hunting market, there is only one French player: Solognac, the Decathlon brand.

The companies with the strongest presence in the French hunting market are therefore predominantly foreign, which explains France's enormous trade deficit in this sector.

3.3 Hunting: a major revenue generator for local communities

In ****, the French hunting industry generated *.* billion euros in sales, contributing *.* billion euros in added value to the national economy (***).[***]

Here's a breakdown of sales by region at the time. It can be considered that there has been no significant movement in the geographical distribution of hunting, and so the **** data can be a good indicator of the current proportions of the distribution.

Hunting sales by region (***)

Source: ****

Share of hunting in regional GDP (***)

Source: ****

A comparison of the above maps is rich in insights. While the regions in which the hunting market generates the most revenue are Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Hauts-de-France. Yet these regions, apart from Nouvelle-Aquitaine, are not the three most dependent on hunting. Indeed, hunting accounts for *.**‰ of Corsica's GDP and *.**‰ of Centre-Val de Loire's. So, logically, the regions most dependent on hunting are the less industrialized regions in which there are a large number of hunters per capita.

Spin-offs from the hunting market by sector France, ****, in Source: ****

The commercial sector (***) is the main beneficiary of the hunting market, with **% of spinoffs, far ahead of industry with **% and agriculture with **%.

4.1 Hunting typologies

Types of hunting

Free-range hunting: the hunter is often alone or with two guns, sometimes accompanied by a tracker, but above all with his dog Hunting with hounds: this hunting method is mainly used for battues with trackers. It accounts for most of the roe deer and wild boar hunted in France. Not surprisingly, there are some ** different breeds of hound Stalking and lying in wait: this hunting method is used in response to the localized development of big game, in areas too small to hunt with hounds, in suburban areas, in areas close to traffic routes, and for selective shooting Hunting with hounds: an ancestral hunting method that consists of pursuing a wild animal with a pack of hounds until it is exhausted and taken Archery hunting: the practice of hunting game with a bow and arrow Flying hunting: hunting using the predatory instincts of raptors specially trained to hunt small game birds, corvids and mammals Waterfowl hunting: hunting birds in wetlands Underground hunting: foxes and badgers are caught deep in their burrows Traditional hunts: tenderie, glue hunting, matoles, tendelles and nets[***]

Hunting methods France, ****, in Source: ****

Analysis of the data on the different types of hunting shows a predominance ...

4.2 A market in constant innovation

Although the hunting market has a rather traditional image, it is not immune to innovation. This mainly concerns hunting weapons, where numerous technological advances are made every year.

The high-end segment is, quite logically, the one where innovation is most prevalent. In particular, hunting optics are constantly being improved, with ever more precise shooting scopes. This type of product is in high demand among hunters, who frequently invest more in their scopes than in their shotguns. [***]

In addition to rifle equipment, it's the rifles themselves that are undergoing numerous evolutions. The famous Russian manufacturer Kalashnikov has developed an intelligent shotgun. This weapon can film, broadcast videos, connect to other devices or transfer data via an on-board computer. These new functionalities are made possible by the presence of an on-board computer equipped with a touch screen embedded in the stock. The gun is innovative even in its external appearance, with a futuristic look inspired by video games. The manufacturer has not yet announced a launch date or price. [***]

5.1 A strictly regulated market

Hunting opening and closing dates

Hunting season opens by ministerial decree, from the *st Sunday in September to the *th Sunday in September, depending on the department.

Hunting closes on the last day of February.

Hunting hours

As the notion of day is vague, the law specifies that the day begins one hour before sunrise and ends one hour after sunset (***).

Waterfowl hunting zones

Waterfowl may only be hunted during the period when hunting is open before the general opening and after the general closing:

In maritime hunting zones ; In unseasoned marshes; On rivers, canals, reservoirs, lakes, ponds and bodies of water; the hunting and shooting of these game species is only authorized at a maximum distance of thirty meters from the body of water, provided that you have hunting rights over it.(***).

Hunting in the event of snow or prolonged frost

Hunting in snowy weather is generally prohibited, but there are exceptions to this rule.

Hunting may be maintained for waterfowl, for species subject to a hunting plan (***).

The act of hunting

The act of hunting is any voluntary act of searching for, pursuing or waiting for game, with the aim or result of capturing or killing it.

The hunting ...

5.2 Hunting permits

The vast majority of French hunters hold departmental licenses (***). National and temporary licenses account for only **% of the total. The national license authorizes the holder to hunt in the various regions of France, while the departmental license limits hunting to the borders of the department in question. Finally, the temporary license allows hunting either for * consecutive days, or for * consecutive days, renewable twice, per department.

However, the reduction in the price of the hunting license by half (***) decided under the Macron presidency, has led to a sharp rise in the number of national licenses issued.[***]

To take the hunting license exam, you must be at least ** years old on the day you take the exam, bearing in mind that the permanent title to the hunting license can only be issued from the age of **.

The permanent hunting license is a lifetime document. It is therefore valid for life. However, to be able to hunt during a given hunting season (***), you must have your hunting license validated by a Fédération Départementale des Chasseurs, i.e. to pay a membership fee to the Federation, as well as a hunting fee and a stamp duty. [***]

6.1 Segmentation of the hunting industry in France

• Beretta
• Kalashnikov Concern (Baïkal)
• Benelli Armi
• Chapuis Armes
• Verney Carron (Cybergun groupe)
• Jumfil
• CI LVC Club Interchasse
• Gibovendée
• Le-Chasseur
• Chasseur Français
• Armurerie du Moulin
• Armurerie Auxerre
• Armurerie Loisir (SD Equipements)
• Chasse Market
• Chasse Nature Passion
• Hourvari
• Naturabuy
• Solognac
• Rivolier
• Inédis
• Terres & Eau