1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 101 Hunting License
Theo's words reminded Ronan of something.

He considered hunting when he first moved to Lourmarin, but gave up because he didn't have a hunting license.

Hunting times vary from region to region in France, but generally begin in mid-September and last until around March of the following year.

Is it time to take a certification exam?

"Is it easy to get a hunting license?" Ronan asked Theo.

When talking about topics of interest, Teo's movements became more powerful:
"Of course it's easy. France has 20 licensed hunters, the most in Europe. Judging from the number of registered people, hunting is the third most popular sport in France, after football and fishing."

20 are just legal hunters; the number of illegal hunters may be ten times or even more.

"What are the requirements for the exam? What will the exam cover?" Ronan asked.

Theo introduced it in detail:
"As long as you are over 15 years old, have a health certificate issued by a doctor, and are not restricted by the judicial authorities from possessing weapons, you can apply. The hunting license is not expensive, 220 francs for minors and 350 francs for adults."

"The exam is divided into theoretical knowledge and practical tests. The theoretical questions mainly focus on knowledge of wild animals and their habitats, hunting knowledge, laws and regulations on hunting and nature conservation, and the use of weapons and ammunition."

"The practical test is not difficult either, because it is not about shooting skills, but safety awareness. It mainly depends on whether the applicant can use the weapon safely in every step of the hunting process, such as how to carry the gun over obstacles, how to transport the weapon in a vehicle, and how to shoot a moving target with a rifle."

"This sounds complicated too." Ronan looked over.

Theo picked up the wine on the ground and took two sips:

"You only need to read the 'Official Manual of Theoretical Questions on the Hunting License Examination' published by OFB (the National Federation of Hunters and the French Biodiversity Office) a few times to pass the exam. This material is updated every year. The one I have is from more than ten years ago, so I can't lend it to you."

Ronan doesn't have anything particularly important to do recently, so he plans to get his hunting license:
“Where can I buy the latest version?”

Theo wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead:

"Avignon and Marseilles definitely have them, but I'm not sure if Apt has them."

"It's so far." Ronan curled his lips.

Theo thought of something and suddenly pointed in the direction of the village:
"Now I remember, Cornell got his license at the beginning of the year, he must have the latest version!"

the next day.

After Ronan finished his work in the fields in the morning, he went to Cornell's house to borrow the latest edition of "Hunting License Examination: Official Manual of Theoretical Questions 1986".

Living in a small place has its advantages.

Ronan had never been to Cornell's house or asked him where he lived, but that didn't prevent him from finding Cornell's address.

If you are lucky enough to meet a bored villager, he can take you to your destination across thousands of miles.

The Cornell family had no land of their own and had been tenant farmers for generations.

In recent years, the income of tenant farmers has not been as stable as before. In addition to farming, Cornell also finds other things to do, such as hunting, delivering goods, or working in a wine cooperative. Compared with those farmers who only know how to drink, he is a very motivated young man.

When Ronan arrived at his house, he was helping his mother sew a quilt.

Many of the older women in Lourmarin sewed and embroidered quilts to supplement their family income, but Cornell's mother was the best at it.

When she was young, she sewed quilts in a factory in Marseille, the world's quilt capital, where the technology is the best in the world.

"The latest edition of 'Hunting License Examination: Official Manual of Theoretical Questions'? Yes, please wait a moment." Cornell went to look for the manual enthusiastically.

After a minute or two, he handed Ronan a thin book:

"I'm so happy Ronan, we can team up to go hunting this year, so I won't be the only novice."

In France, hunting is usually done in groups, unless the animal being hunted is a protected species that cannot be seen in the light.

The lively Provençal people would not choose to go into the mountains alone. They believe that one of the pleasures of hunting is to have friends around. The "Hunting License Examination: Official Manual of Theoretical Questions" is much thinner than Ronan imagined, less than 100 pages.

Can you pass the exam if you learn these?

“Will we not be tested on any other knowledge points?” Ronan asked as he flipped through the pages.

"No, no," Cornell consoled him. "Getting a hunting license is much easier than getting a driver's license. Animal knowledge is quite interesting and can be read as a popular science book. It also introduces the estrus time and courtship methods of various animals."

Cornell laughed twice:

"I missed all the practical tests, but I still got my license. As long as I meet the safety regulations, I will definitely get full marks."

Ronan slapped the book on his palm:
"Thanks. See you in the old tavern this afternoon. I'll buy you a couple of drinks."

After walking two steps, Ronan suddenly stopped and turned back to ask Cornell again:

“Can I ask you a few questions about winemaking?”

After attending the party, he still had a few questions he wanted to clarify, one of which was about the handmade brewing of rosé wine.

Ronan's system skills include [Brewing], but he doesn't want to waste his precious [Happiness] to learn these 'basic' knowledge.

He remembered that Cornell knew a lot about grapes and winemaking.

Cornell said enthusiastically:
"Of course, of course."

Ronan came back:
“Is the hand-made process of making rosé wine more complicated than that of red wine?”

Cornell nodded first, then immediately shook his head:

"Pink wine has an extra step of skin removal compared to red wine. If the grape skins and grape juice are soaked for too long, too much color and tannin will be left, so the skins must be removed after a short contact. From this point of view, it is indeed more complicated to make than red wine."

Cornell continued:
"But pink wine doesn't need too much tannin, which will affect its refreshing taste, so it doesn't need a long fermentation time, and it doesn't even need oak barrels. Red wine is stored in oak barrels in order to produce more tannins during the aging process."

Ronan nodded thoughtfully:
"Ok, I see."

After returning home, Ronan plunged into the book "Hunting License Examination: Official Manual of Theoretical Questions" and found the content extremely interesting.

In order, the first part tells the story of the selection of the hound.

The book briefly introduces 150 types of hunting dogs that can be raised in France, and introduces their personality traits and what kind of families are suitable for raising them.

The second part deals with the species that can be hunted in France and their habits.

In France, there are 90 species of animals that can be hunted, including about 60 species of birds. It is the country with the most species of animals allowed for hunting in Europe, but this number changes every year.

This part is obviously one of the key points of the exam. In addition to a large amount of text and picture descriptions, the book also inserts some exercises from time to time to help applicants consolidate knowledge points.

There were a few that Ronan found quite interesting.

"If you feel a small bump on the rabbit's forelimb with your thumb, then this rabbit:"

"A. Less than 9 months"

「B. Older than 9 months」

Ferrets can be used to capture:

"A. Hare"

"B. Rabbit"

(End of this chapter)