Guided
Hiking

The immense wildlife

Between the plains and woods, it isn’t unusual to see a grazing deer, even in broad daylight, he goes to eat several times a day. We say he goes “pasturing”. The roebuck, or deer hides near the edge of the forest, in the thick grove and bushes.

More gourmet than voracious, he looks for varied food: brambles, cereals, but also buds and new shoots which the forester must protect individually.

Fortunately, the deer doesn’t like beech, it prefers hornbeam or maple.

As for the wild boar, it is very present in the district and sought after by hunters. It looks for its food at night and can cause damages in the cultivation and plantation of the oak. To keep them in the forest, the hunters have installed food areas, we say they “bait” them. The wild boar is an omnivorous animal, that is to say it feeds on varied elements, whether it comes from animals or plants. The female, the sow, can have two litters a year of eight to ten farrows.

As for the stag, it is present in the great forests of Southern Haute-Marne. It is rare to see a great antlered stag, except during the mating season, the doe is less shy. They regroup in winter, and can be seen in herds of dozens.

The NFO, with other hunting partners, fix the number of animals to keep a balance as they do not have any predator.

Hunting is part of the economy of Haute-Marne. In some forests, the income of the hunting permits can exceed the income of the wood sale.

We advise hikers to be careful when crossing the forests, because even in summer the young stag can be hunted with rifles or arrows. This way of hunting allows the ill or disabled beasts to be eliminated.

Continue your walk through the plain and the cultured fields, and then stop where a section of Roman road is cleared.