Has anyone done this recently? How did it compare to Central European driven hunts?

Monterias are all the rage with hunters I have met in Belgium, with bags of 200-300 head of red/fallow/boar etc being taken.

Looks like a great hunt with fine traditions and good dog work.

quote:

Originally posted by Boghossian:
Monterias are all the rage with hunters I have met in Belgium, with bags of 200-300 head of red/fallow/boar etc being taken.

No way! Those numbers can't be right. Not for a real "Monteria" (Spain) or "Montaria" (Portugal).
Such numbers can only be achieved in rather small fenced areas ("cercão" (P) or "cercon" (S)), in what you may call a “put and take†operation, where the animals are sometimes unloaded the very day of the hunt or the day before. But I wouldn't call that "montaria".
I wouldn't even call it hunting but rather "slaughtering".

B.Martins

Hi,
Sorry if I was unclear, but these numbers are for several days (3-5) of monteria hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Boghossian:
Hi,
Sorry if I was unclear, but these numbers are for several days (3-5) of monteria hunting.

That gives us between 40/60 (if 5) and 70/100 (if 3) animals per "montaria"?
It still has to be a very selected "high-end" “montaria†to achieve those numbers on open areas.
Some of the best organisations in Spain and Portugal, operating strictly on open areas, can hardly achieve an average of 40 animals per "montaria".
With those numbers it has to be a "cercon".

B.Martins

I see, not for me. Cost was 5000 euros.

Are there any 'top areas', what is a good bag and what breed of dog are those guys using?

I would like to know more about the natural monterias.

“Montarias†are conducted in thick bush areas that can be as small as 50 hectares or as large as 600/700 hectares and involve from 15 to 100 (or more!) hunters.
Packs of dogs (called “matilhasâ€) are used to chase the game out, leading them to the hunters that surround the area. The number of dogs used depends on the characteristics of the bush but can be as many as 400.
The dogs used are from many different breeds. “Podengos†and “dogos†are very common but many other breeds can be seen on those “matilhasâ€.
The price of a “montaria†can vary a lot. It all depends on the organization and on expected results. Prices between 250 and 1000 Euros are normal with commercial organizations. But “montarias†costing between 20 and 250 Euros can also be found but just for wild boar.
In Spain there are many good areas but Extremadura province is (for me) the best.
In Portugal all areas from Coimbra (centre) to the south and close to the spanish border are very good.
If in a 400 Euro “montaria†a group of 50 hunters manage to bag 30 wild boars and among those there are 3 good trophies then you may say that was a very good “montariaâ€.

B.Martins

Thanks B.Martins, is it true that the dogs are quite ferocious and sometimes kill game themselves?

quote:

Originally posted by Boghossian:
Thanks B.Martins, is it true that the dogs are quite ferocious and sometimes kill game themselves?

Yes they are. When the dogs grab a boar or a deer (we call it "agarre") in front of the place where the hunter is ("porta") he is supposed to go and assist the dogs by finishing the animal with his knife. It’s quite a thrill!

B.Martins