Decrease in Incidents and Increased Hunting Efficiency in Morocco’s 2025-2026 Game Season
The 2025-2026 hunting season for game birds in Morocco recorded four incidents of varying severity, affecting the regions of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Fes-Meknes, and Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, compared to nine incidents during the same period last season.
Data from the National Agency for Water and Forests indicated that the number of recorded violations reached 173, reflecting a slight increase of 1.8% compared to last season, which recorded 170 violations.
Fes-Meknes reported the highest percentage of violations at approximately 20%, followed by Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima at 7%, and Beni Mellal-Khenifra at 3%.
These indicators were considered positive, attributed to national mobilization and ongoing coordination with the Royal Moroccan Hunting Federation, national security forces, and the royal gendarmerie, along with the involvement of hunting associations and sporting hunters, which helped enhance compliance with sector regulations, reduce illegal hunting practices, and ensure safety.
The same source affirmed that the current hunting season benefited from favorable natural conditions, particularly significant rainfall across various regions of the kingdom. This positively impacted vegetation cover and the quality of natural habitats, contributing to an improved situation for game, with positive effects expected for upcoming seasons.
Satisfactory results were noted regarding the hunting yield, especially for partridges, one of Morocco’s main game birds, with an average of 1.76 partridges per hunter in a single hunting day, compared to 1.43 partridges last season. The highest percentages were reported in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region at 19%, followed by Beni Mellal-Khenifra at 18.4%.
The season for hunting resident game ended on January 4, coinciding with the start of the mating and breeding period, in respect of the natural life cycles of the hunted species.
The data emphasized that adherence to the biological rest period is a fundamental pillar in managing natural resources and ensuring their sustainability for future generations, urging hunters to strictly comply with legal provisions and contribute to wildlife protection and the preservation of ecological balances.
It is noted that the hunting period for wild rabbits, partridge, and the common quail began on October 5, based on the annual decree signed by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, Ahmed Bouari, along with the Minister Delegate in Charge of Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa.
The decree also specified the timeframes for hunting other species, including rock pigeons, forest pigeons, and their wild counterparts, as well as doves, wild boars, and other types of wildlife, across more than 1,600 hunting areas nationwide, covering a total area of over four million hectares.
