Monterias in Spain

The montería is Spain's most traditional form of big-game hunting, practiced for centuries on the great dehesa estates of central and southwestern Spain. It is a collective drive hunt in which a team of beaters and specially trained packs of dogs — the rehalas — move through the terrain to flush and drive game (mainly wild boar, red deer, and, depending on the estate, fallow deer or mouflon) toward hunters positioned strategically around a designated stretch of land. The day combines the excitement of the wait and a well-placed shot with a strong social and cultural dimension, traditionally closing with the junta de carnes, a gathering where the game taken is laid out and discussed. It's a unique experience that brings together hunting tradition, landscape, gastronomy, and the hospitality of the Spanish countryside.