PRECISION STICK

A father who lifts me up into the sky to discover blackbird eggs laid in the hollow of a cosy nest. At the age of six, this vision gave birth to a never-ending need to marvel and immerse myself in nature.

At the age of twelve, wildlife photography led me to explore paths, hedgerows, forests and marshes. Day and night, dawn and dusk, every spare moment was devoted to learning more about wildlife.
What profession should you choose to quench your thirst for life in a natural environment? Becoming a forest ranger is an obvious choice. The right studies are followed.
The area I’m about to visit, in the Western Hertogenwald forest, is located on the Hautes Fagnes plateau in Belgium.
At that time, it’s quite singular, I’m still profoundly anti-hunting!!!!
I soon realised that the pressure exerted by the over-density of large ungulates was having a major impact on biodiversity; not a single deciduous or coniferous tree could grow here if it wasn’t protected.
The hunting rights belong to the Crown, which wanted to make this a pilot area. Winners of the hunting exam are invited to draw up shooting plans under the guidance of the local forest wardens.
Every precaution is taken to ensure ethical hunting. All hunting is carried out by stalking and stalking, after checking that the optics are correctly adjusted, that the gun is in good working order, that the ammunition is the right choice, and also the skill of each hunter in adapting the shooting distances to avoid injuring the animals.

It was against this backdrop that I began my long career as a hunting guide.