SPANISH HUNTING CULTURE: THE MONTERIA

FEATURE Neal Finch

The Monteria is a unique hunting format found only in Spain and Portugal. Going back countless generations, the first written record describing the Monteria dates to the early 1300s. However, there can be little doubt that it began many centuries before written accounts. The Monteria is a coordinated communal hunt that uses dogs to flush game past waiting hunters and animals taken are not kept by individual hunters. There are many Spanish words that relate specifically to the tradition of the Monteria demonstrating this long cultural connection.

While it is true that all over Europe driven game hunts are commonplace and have longstanding cultural traditions, none can match the Monteria for sheer scale. The Battue of France and the Drückjagd of Germany are examples of similar European driven hunting cultures. What sets the Monteria apart is the number of hunters involved and the fact that high seats or stands are not used. I also understand the number of dogs used in a Monteria is far more than any other countries. On a recent work trip to Spain I was invited to attend a Monteria. Here I describe my experience of an ancient part of Spanish culture that is as alive and relevant to land management today as it has been for centuries.

It's early Saturday morning before the sun has risen and Raul, my host, collects me from the Hosteria where I am staying in a small town in central Spain. My Spanish is rudimentary at best and Raul knows even less English. Fortunately, his teenage son, who is learning English, is joining us and can act as an interpreter. We stop at the next town where Raul’s mother wants to wish us good luck for the day. Raul’s parents established a game meat business many years ago, which Raul and his brother continue to manage today. I am left with little doubt that harvesting wild game meat will be central to the day’s activities.

The drive through the central Spanish mountains is spectacular. Nearly all the land I see is fenced in some way regardless of steepness or how thick the vegetation. Signs on the fences are everywhere stating ‘Cota Social’ or ‘Cota Privado’. These are farms where social hunt clubs or private hunting interests have access. Ninety percent of all land in Spain is a hunting area of some sort with hunting clubs paying annual fees to landowners for hunting rights. It was common in Spain to see people with firearms walking across fields, in plain sight of public roads and traffic. As we ascend higher into the mountains I see a new sign on fences, ‘Mancha’. This is a hunting area dedicated to the Monteria and is usually associated with a Finca, meaning hunting estate. This form of land management need not include forestry or farming, with hunting fees being the primary source of income.

Arriving at the Mancha I am introduced to many members of the Real Club De Monteros including Carmen, the club’s president. The atmosphere is very friendly and it’s clear how excited the club members are. Immediately I feel underdressed in my Australian hunting clothes. Many of the Monteros are dressed in traditional Spanish hunting outfits similar to what I associate with English driven game shoots. Jackets and ties are common; this is a special day!

A Monteria starts with a traditional hunter’s breakfast. This Mancha has a square of buildings with a large central courtyard, and a bonfire lit in the middle, for this purpose. While the buildings are agricultural the dining tables are immaculately presented with white table clothes, wine glasses and silverware. The breakfast meal, like everything I experience, is traditional. A fried egg, pieces of bacon, capsicum and tomato served on a bed of breadcrumbs fried in chorizo oil. I am in paradise!

After breakfast the Monteros, easily over one hundred men, women and teenagers gather in the courtyard for speeches and a reminder of the Monteria rules. Although I don’t understand most of what is said, I comprehend the two major themes. Safety is paramount, as is respect for the Monteria. That means the game, the dogs and their handlers (rehaleros), locals who rely on income from Monterias. After some group photos we are given our positions within the Mancha. An Armada is a line of positions for Monteros and can be variable in length depending on the geography of the land. As mentioned, there are no high seats or anything to assist the Montero. We drove through the property and park at the end of a trail. The walk into our puesto (position along the Armada) is only a kilometre or so in length but steep and difficult to traverse.

The walk in reveals plenty of sign for both red deer cievo (stags) and ciera (hinds) and plenty of pig digging. Wild boar are called jabali whereas wild sows are called exactly that, cerda salvaje (wild sow). It doesn’t seem long after we are settled into position before the rehalas (packs of hunting dogs) are released. The hills become alive to the sound of barking and before long I see individual dogs and packs of up to 20 crisscrossing the hillsides around us. Shots ring out from near and far and this soundtrack continues throughout the day.

Raul’s rifle is a Blazer in 300 Win Mag fitted with a Swarovski variable scope. Ammunition in Europe is not cheap, a pack of 20 Norma factory rounds retails for 84 Euros ($140 Australian!). The Blazer remains quiet for the first hour or so but we are constantly alert to the sounds of dogs and other rifles being fired. Eventually a lone red deer runs across the hillside coming to within a hundred metres. The rifle is up but no shot taken. Apparently, it is a young stag and therefore against the code of the Monteria. However, 30 minutes later a hind runs towards us from the opposite direction. This time the rifle is up and speaks with formidable confidence. The deer crumbles at the sound of the shot and goes no further. To say I am impressed is an understatement. Raul has just taken a 100m running shot and dropped a deer in its tracks! There are big smiles all around and I shake his hand in congratulations. Later I appreciate how much Monteros pride their rifle skills. One hunter I meet (in his sixties) continues to use open sights and shows me videos of deer after deer being taken cleanly on the run.

Eventually the day comes to an end and the walk out feels far steeper than the walk in. I see locals employed by the Monteria using burros to carry the carcasses out of the hills. We assemble back where the day began with drinks around the bonfire enjoyed by all. A traditional hunter’s dinner is served with wine and toasts given by the Monteros. I am fortunate to be introduced to Mario who speaks perfect English and is very knowledgeable on hunting in España. That’s not surprising since he runs a hunting business called Hunty. In total 90 red deer were harvested during the day along with six wild boar. A refrigerated truck is on hand to transport all the game meat to a processing works. In total 300 rehalas (dogs specifically used for the Monteria) were used during day which apparently is a lot even for a Monteria! If the scale of this harvest seems large consider an important component of the Monteria; it can only occur once a year on the same Mancha!

If this introduction to the Monteria is of interest and you want to know more about it then I highly recommend checking out Mario’s website ( www.hunty.es ) or, better still, dropping him an email at info@hunty.com