Well, authorities have granted their request and reopened the hunting this spring, with public land hunts restricted to hybrids only. Hunts for pure-bred trophies on at least some private properties were also allowed to continue through May 31, the end of the season. We have that from Jose Mallo of Espacaza, who conducted a hunt in early May, among others, for Hunting Report subscriber Marc Hansen.
Mallo says the wildlife department is actively culling hybrids, as are local hunters, with the hopes that a purebred population will increase the value of the species as a game animal. Mallo says the culls do not affect him, because he hunts private property where 99 percent of the boc are purebred and he and the landowner actively remove any hybrids that show up. In all, Mallo conducted boc hunts for eight clients last season, three from the US, two from Germany and three from elsewhere in Spain. He says that coverage in SCI's publications and The Hunting Report have generated great interest in this hunt. Only problem is that there is no guarantee that the wildlife department will reopen boc hunting next season on public or private land. The hunting period normally runs from October 12 to May 31. Mallo says he should know sometime in August or September what the wildlife department plans to do.
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