Wood Pigeon hunting capped at twelve thousand harvests

The Ministry of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0201 of August 29, 2026, a decree dated August 26, 2026, regulating the hunting of the European turtle dove for the 2026-2027 hunting season. The text, referenced NOR TECL2622860A, sets the opening of the hunt for August 30, 2026, across the entire metropolitan territory and caps harvests at 12,000 specimens. This measure, sensitive for both hunters and biodiversity, relies on a fully digitized declaration and control system.

A National Harvest Cap

By derogation from Articles 1 and 3 of the decree of March 24, 2006, relating to the opening of the hunt for migratory birds and waterfowl, the opening of the hunt for the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is set for August 30, 2026, for the entire metropolitan territory. For the 2026-2027 season, the total authorized harvests are capped at 12,000 specimens, a national figure that applies to the entire mainland.

Real-Time Digital Control

Any hunter who has taken an individual must register it in real time, as soon as they are in possession of the bird, via the “ChassAdapt” mobile application provided by the National Federation of Hunters. Failure to register constitutes an infringement. To ensure oversight, the federation provides the French Biodiversity Agency and the departmental hunters’ federations with a “ChassControl” mobile application intended for the monitoring of digital declarations.

The system provides for a daily flow of data:

• the National Federation of Hunters transmits the figures of turtle doves declared in “ChassAdapt” daily to the French Biodiversity Agency and the ministry in charge of hunting;
• the French Biodiversity Agency and the departmental federations communicate findings of harvested and undeclared specimens, which are added to the cap count;
• as soon as the cap of 12,000 harvests is reached, the federation alerts hunters and blocks the ability to register new harvests on “ChassAdapt.”

Any harvest carried out after notification that the cap has been reached constitutes an infringement. A notice is published on the website of the French Biodiversity Agency.

A Scientific Evaluation of the Season

The decree provides for monitoring of the hunting season. The National Federation of Hunters must send the consolidated report of the age analysis of harvested European turtle doves to the French Biodiversity Agency and the ministry in charge of hunting before May 1, 2027. The French Biodiversity Agency and the federation shall transmit the report on harvest controls to the minister in charge of hunting before June 1, 2027. This evaluation will be the subject of a report submitted to the director of water and biodiversity before June 1, 2027.

A measure between hunting and biodiversity

The European turtle dove, a declining migratory species, is receiving particular attention from public authorities. By setting a late opening date and a strict national ceiling, the decree of August 26, 2026 (NOR TECL2622860A) reconciles hunting practices with the conservation requirements of the species. The use of the “ChassAdapt” and “ChassControl” applications establishes real-time monitoring of harvests, a first that should allow future seasons to be adjusted based on reliable data. The execution of the text is entrusted to the director of water and biodiversity and the departmental prefects, each as it concerns them.

Source: Decree of August 26, 2026 framing the hunting of the European turtle dove for the 2026-2027 hunting season, NOR TECL2622860A, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0201 of August 29, 2026.