Game reserves in Cáceres: mountains, valleys and plains
Cáceres is teeming with game reserves; in fact, you could say that all of Extremadura is one big estate for field sports. It’s no exaggeration – according to official data, around 85% of this autonomous community is considered hunting ground. In other words, you can shoot game and other animals anywhere other than built-up areas, wetlands and protected areas. Afficionados of field sports will find the most prized spots around Cáceres, for several reasons: the grounds are vast; the seasons for each species are usually longer (thank the weather for that); and the variety of landscapes – mountains, scrubland, valleys, pastureland, wetlands, farmland – provides habitat for diverse species.
Shooting in Extremadura: a popular pastime
Like in the rest of Extremadura, many in Cáceres consider shooting as essential for preserving the rural environment. Game hunting and shooting plays a major role in the region’s economy and is a method of controlling the species that live there. This is certainly the case on game reserves which are publicly owned or controlled by local governments, and there are also numerous reserves in Cáceres in private hands. Many private estates – these are properly signed and often cordoned off – are used for both small and big game hunting.
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![](https://static.barcelo.com/content/dam/bhg/master/es/hoteles/spain/extremadura/caceres/barcelo-caceres-v-centenario/main-photos/hotel/BCAC_POOL_18.jpg)
Cáceres
Barceló Cáceres V Centenario
- Completely refurbished
- Spectacular swimming pool
- Perfect for short breaks
- Meeting and events centre
Cáceres’ game reserves bring in a lot of money to the region. More than 200 businesses across Extremadura specialise in field-sports services, ranging from insurance and transport to hospitality, vet services and shoot organisers.
![Caza en Cáceres](https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cotos-caza-caceres.jpg)
Cazador en los cotos de caza de Cáceres
The area has witnessed growing hostility towards field sports from some groups, and changes in agricultural land use over recent decades have led to huge areas of farmland which have done away with the stone and plant-based structures traditionally used by game species as shelter and for rearing their young.
Game reserves in Extremadura
Before you step onto a game reserve in Cáceres (or anywhere else in the region), you need to obtain the correct licence from the Federación Extremeña de Caza or the Hunting Federation of Extremadura. This is absolutely mandatory for community reserves managed by the local government. Most hunting licences are distributed to residents of Extremadura, though a specific percentage are reserved for incomers.
Cáceres’ game reserves are spread across an area of more than 1,600,000 hectares and more or less half are community game reserves. There are several categories of private game reserves,
and more than 300,000 hectares of these are used specifically for big game hunting on open ground.
![caza en caceres](https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cotos-caza-caceres1.jpg)
![caza en caceres](https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cotos-caza-caceres1.jpg)
Cazador practicando la caza en Cáceres
Prized small game species in Cáceres
Of all the small game species in Cáceres, the most sought after is rabbit. Unfortunately, numbers of this species are declining as a result of rabbit haemorrhagic disease, and the problem also affects their natural predators, including lynx, Eurasian eagle-owl and other birds of prey.
The following small game species are also popular in Extremadura:
- Quail: This species is gradually disappearing from its natural habitat and shooting is often restricted.
Cazador al amanecer del día en Cáceres
- Mallard: The shooting season is in winter to coincide with their annual migration.
- Pigeon: Includes wood pigeon and rock dove. Shooting starts mid-summer and lasts well into winter.
- Turtledove: A common species in summer.
- Thrush: This species favours the small wooded areas in Extremadura’s mountainous regions.
- Red-legged partridge: One of the most sought-after small game species in Extremadura. Typically found on pastureland, especially near wetlands.
- Hare: Like its relative, the hare is also suffering a decline as a result of disease and new agricultural methods which remove their main shelter areas.
- Fox: The season runs from mid-October to the end of winter and permits a variety of hunting methods.
Big game
Extremadura has a reputation among big game hunters. Here’s a list of the large mammals that you can track on game reserves in this part of Spain:
- Roe deer: The season is from spring to mid-summer.
- Wild boar: The official division of hunting zones means this species can be hunted all year in Extremadura.
- Red deer: The season for this species of deer runs from mid-August to late February.
- Fallow deer: Also mid-August to late February.
- Mouflon: This species can be stalked during almost the whole year.
- Iberian ibex: Hunting is permitted from 1 September to 31 March. You can also stalk males in April.
Related plans
![](https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/jamon-dehesa_430-1.jpg)
Jamón Dehesa: the most sought-after delicacy in Extremadura
![](https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/rutas-extremadura_430.jpg)