Can you hike or run in a Walloon forest in autumn when hunting is going on?

Yes, you can, with two checks. As a hiker or runner, you may use the roads and paths that are open to the public. What counts is what happens on your day and on your stretch of route. So check ahead whether a hunt has been announced, and on the spot, follow the signs and closures: they have the last word. ^{[1] [2]}

This check pays off most in autumn. That is when the forest, from the Ardennes to the Condroz, is at its prettiest, and it is also when a free weekend sometimes lands on a drive hunt, or battue. That is a group hunt where beaters drive the game towards the hunters. If you know beforehand, you calmly pick another forest or another loop. If you only find out at the forest edge, you have to improvise on the spot, and that is exactly what you want to avoid.

Which roads and paths can you use as a hiker or runner?

For you as a pedestrian, the rule is simple: you use the roads and paths that are open to the public. Walloon rules distinguish three types. A route is an (often paved) road, a chemin is a forest track more than one metre wide, and a sentier is a narrow path less than one metre wide. On foot, you may use all three, as long as they are open to the public. Outside those public ways, the owner decides who may enter. ^[1]

Not every track in the forest is a road. A firebreak, a timber-hauling track, a hunting strip or a game plot is not a way open to the public, even if there is no prohibition sign. A strip like that looks like a handy shortcut on a hunting day, but it is not one. Respect every closure and keep your dog on a lead. ^[1]

How do you see in advance whether hunting is going on?

Your first check is ChasseOnWeb, the Walloon map of hunting areas and announced dates of drive hunts. Lay your planned route next to it and compare two things: your departure day and the stretch of forest you want to pass through. If an announced hunt falls on your day in your area, you still have plenty of time to pick another loop. ^[2]

The map does not replace the signs. Even if you found nothing at home, the signs on the spot still apply, and an empty search does not prove that nothing is planned. Save the page you looked at with your route, so you can reread the place and date along the way. If a local rule stays unclear, call the tourist office or the competent cantonnement of the Département de la Nature et des Forêts (DNF), the local office of the Walloon forest manager. Ask a concrete question there: which spot, which day, on foot or running. ^{[1] [2]}

Why look at the weather too?

An autumn day in the forest is not only about hunting: wind and rain also decide whether your route stays doable. An RMI warning has a validity period and a geographic area, so check whether both affect your trip. Yellow can appear up to 48 hours ahead, orange up to 24 hours ahead and red at the earliest 12 hours ahead. When things are uncertain, a warning can also come later, so look again as your departure gets closer. ^[3]

The provincial colour code does not capture every small-scale local difference. A sheltered valley and an open ridge in the same province can feel very different. So read the text with the warning and the current forecast, and judge wet leaves, visibility and wind damage on the spot. If a passage or any step feels unsafe, you turn back. ^[3]

Imagine: a Saturday loop near Bouillon

Imagine you plan a forest loop near Bouillon for Saturday, and one connection is not clear on the map. On Friday evening you check ChasseOnWeb to see whether a drive hunt has been announced for that spot, and you look at the RMI warnings. You mark a decision point just before that unclear connection, and from there you draw a shorter way back. You save both routes offline on your phone. ^{[2] [3]}

On Saturday morning you check the warnings again. In the forest itself, you decide based on what you see. If there is a prohibition sign or a closure, you follow it and take the prepared way back. So you do not look for an unknown track to close the loop anyway. If the path is slippery with leaves or you see wind damage, you turn back at the decision point. That way it stays a lovely morning instead of having to search for a way back. ^{[1] [2]}

What a map or app does not tell you

A line drawn on a map is not permission. Maps, route descriptions and the Pre-Flight check in RouteRadar help you ask the right questions, but they do not decide whether a path is open on your day. If an app shows no warning, that does not mean the route is open or safe. In case of a current closure or conflicting info, follow the official notice and the signs on the spot.

Alone, in a group or with a health condition

If you go alone, leave your route and your latest return time with someone at home. That way someone knows where to look if you are not back on time. If you go in a group, agree beforehand when you will shorten the route or turn back. Once you reach that moment, nobody has to argue along the way about the whole loop. Plan your return well before dark, and bring a light if your trip could run into dusk.

First time in a Walloon forest? Then stay on clearly marked roads and pick a loop with short exits. Experienced runners know their forests, but for that very reason they risk taking a familiar shortcut: on a hunting day, a hunting strip or firebreak is not an option. If you have a heart, lung or other condition, talk to your doctor about which effort and distance make sense, and pick a loop where you can drop out quickly. Tight budget? For these checks, you have nothing to buy. A simple light is enough, as long as it is charged and you know how it works.

Fancy an autumn trip? This week, pick a Walloon forest loop, lay it next to ChasseOnWeb and mark your decision point. Check the weather the evening before, then set off with a plan B in your pocket. Then you enjoy the colours and the crunch of the leaves, without surprises at the forest edge.

Field notes · Route library