Boar damage

[Yonner]

When that happened here I just put the turves roughly back in place and ran over the area a few times with the ride-on (sans blades). Then filled in holes with top-soil, watered and over-seeded. I'd imagine that if you've been away for a while, the damage is extensive? Is there no-one locally that could give you a hand to level it? It makes all the difference getting the turves back in place and I doubt a rotovator is the solution. I'd offer to help, but I don't think you're in the SW?
When it's done, might be worth considering an electric fence (a lightweight one with push-in stakes & 2 strands of wire is enough). As long as the lowest strand is set just above ground level, it's enough to deter them.

I can't offer any other solution to those voiced, but I'd like to ask where you'd suggest getting topsoil from Quicksilver, maybe we haven't searched hard enough locally, but I can't find any of good quality - ie brickless. TIA

There are a couple of firms locally that deliver topsoil, one being the local vidange firm Don't laugh! I did wonder, but found out that they get it from a (fairly) local quarry. 1st lot, impeccable, 2nd lot full of couch grass roots and 3rd lot (I'm a sucker for punishment) they must have treated with something nasty, because nothing except bindweed and couch will grow in it. It sounds as though you got yours from a maçon or groundworks Co.. Worth a call to a vidange Co. or a local paysagiste to find out where they get theirs?

Cheers, never would have considered that.

[elsie]

Thank you forthe suggestions. I'll contact the mairie and see whether they can help? I've remembered they have a smaller tractor for use in the village with a selection of buckets for clearing out ditches.

[Polarengineer]

Our local farmer has extensive damage to his fields every year. He is president of the local hunt, which proves he and his gang are not very good shots. He runs a flail mower over the clods and it chops up the clods, re-distributing the fibre roots evenly. My adjacent field is surrounded with an electric fence at low level to keep the boar out, it works so far.

[Veem]

Have you got manure heaps, Veem? Sanglier love those! I sprinkled a mix of pepper and chilli powder over mine. It did the trick...that and the electric fence

Oh yes, we have muck heaps and the boar rearrange them most years. I'd rather they spent time on them though than in the paddock.

[Quiksilver]

Our local farmer has extensive damage to his fields every year. He is president of the local hunt, which proves he and his gang are not very good shots. He runs a flail mower over the clods and it chops up the clods, re-distributing the fibre roots evenly. My adjacent field is surrounded with an electric fence at low level to keep the boar out, it works so far.

Our experience of them was a sounder/singular/herd of 15 adults with accompanying marcassins. The hunt policy is to leave females and young alone, so probably not really anything to do with the chasse's (in)competence
One of my most vivid memories of hunting round here was of a couple of chaps (which in itself is illegal AFAIK, it's supposed to be an organised battue) that shot and killed a huge boar on one of the adjacent fields. Then it became apparent why the chasse organise battues! The kerfuffle they had trying to transport a couple of hundred kilos of dead weight piggie across two big fields to the chemin where their van was parked was most entertaining

[Quiksilver]

Have you got manure heaps, Veem? Sanglier love those! I sprinkled a mix of pepper and chilli powder over mine. It did the trick...that and the electric fence

Oh yes, we have muck heaps and the boar rearrange them most years. I'd rather they spent time on them though than in the paddock.

The list of things that attract them is depressingly long.....broad beans, most root veg, compost and muck heaps, soil grubs etc etc. They definitely don't like spices though

[Bayleaf]

Digressing slightly, but I'm sure I've heard that wild boar (and deer) are bred in captivity in certain areas, then released into the wild, to boost numbers. Then they become too numerous, and the problem of over-population and land damage is more evident.

Then the hunt have to up their game to get numbers back under control.

Seems a daft, vicious circle if that is the case?

As to damage - we saw the worst damage from wild boar last winter, as we are able to ride around unfenced fields that are used for hay crops. Had some damage in a client's very rural orchard/garden. Just kept rolling over it with the mower on high, and with some heavy rainfall, it seems to be repairing itself.

[Quiksilver]

Worse than breeding boar in captivity is the practice of crossing them with domestic pigs! Then they're released into the wild Same principle as breeding thousands of pheasants and releasing them on pre-notified days so the less-than- talented can have the pleasure of blasting a disorientated, totally bemused bird out of existence. That's not hunting....

[MAD87]

This is what a Breton is trying:
https://www.tf1info.fr/regions/video-sa ... 34942.html

[Quiksilver]

Yes...tried a shower radio to deter all sorts of unwelcome wildlife from sanglier to chevreuil to fouines....it works . Especially the chaines with the most publicity