On a walk through Mallorca’s countryside you will have come across this sign, Coto Privado de Caza. If you were licensed to hunt in Mallorca, or Spain, you would be allowed to enter the land here and hunt for rabbits, partridges, pheasants or other small game, provided you have paid your fees.

Obtaining a temporary hunting license in Spain is relatively easy. You need to be adult, have a clean police record in your own country, have no unpaid parking offenses in Spain, and pass a medical examination.

But you have to stick to the hunting periods, which seem to get shorter and shorter every year. The hunting season for small animals this year extends from October 1st, 2007, until January 31st, 2008. Hunting with rifles in Mallorca is currently restricted to Thursdays and Sundays only.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken near the town of Felanitx, Mallorca. The date: October 12th, 2006. The time was 17:05:57.