A participant on horseback attends a roe dear hunt with hounds in the Chantilly royal estate forest, north of Paris, France. (Reuters/Jacky Naegelen photo)
By Astrid Wendlandt
PARIS (Reuters) - Banned in much of Europe, roe-deer hunting on horseback with hounds is enjoying such renewed interest in France that some companies are marketing one-off outings to non-specialists, some riding in carriages.
Affluent consumers increasingly prefer spending on such lifestyle experiences as hunting, travel and pricy meals rather than on luxury "stuff" like handbags and jewelry, analysts say, and the trend shows no sign of abating.
"In a society turning vegetarian, influenced by grisly reports about animal slaughtering, paradoxically the sport has never been doing so well as in France," said Pierre de Boisguilbert, head of France's Hunting with...