Present circumstances of brown hare management and required improvements

Kelemen, József – Szemethy, László – Bíró, Zsolt

Following Hungary’s accession to the EU, probably a significant proportion of agricultural land with unfavourable characteristics will be no longer cultivated. These areas may be exceptionally well utilised for the purposes of small game management. An appropriate support system needs to be developed to establish this. (Game management appeared merely as a marginal note in previous programmes.)

It would be expedient to make long-term plans for the provision of funds to support the development of habitat for game management. In the interests of efficient management, modern methods of estimating population numbers should be applied and utilization should be planned accordingly.

In contrast to the current practise of continuous utilisation, utilisation based on changing population numbers is required. To facilitate this, there should be a requirement for data based on unified methods of estimation. Approval of brown hare utilisation figures should only be finalised following the estimation of autumn stock.

Farmers should be encouraged to use the results of research and utilisation models.

Hunting associations are advised to conduct compulsory, examination-based training for those members employed as hunt masters on how to estimate population numbers and how to utilise models.

January captures should be forbidden and those taking place in December should be licensed. Furthermore, managers should provide the amounts of utilisation broken down by months with October showing the greatest share of capture.

If the density of brown hares across the total game management area falls short of 0.2 head/ha at the spring estimate and short of 0.4 head/ha at the autumn estimate, the December hunt have to be to be licensed to ensure the maintenance of breeding stock.

Monitoring the level of brown hare population is essential for the National Game Management Databank (Országos Vadgazdálkodási Adattár; OVA). The strengthening of OVA’s function for analysis and control is essential.

The introduction of deliberate predatory game management is important (Szemethy és Heltai 2000). The density of fox stock should be estimated and reported (maps of fox burrows in game areas should be prepared annually) and based on this information hunting associations should shoot them in predetermined numbers.

Tularaemia infections should be researched and not covered up. All survey data should be freely accessible. Pre-screening for tularaemia by the managers must be stopped, but following the opening hunt of a season hunting authorities should urge the examination of shot hares for infection.

A number of projects linked to brown hare research have been implemented in the past decade with support from the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (FVM). Thanks to these projects, a user-friendly and accepted estimation-utilisation method has developed. In future, its use should be disseminated. Efforts must be made, through involving farmers’ trade associations, to influence their opinions and motivate them to take part and actively co-operate in research programmes. (For example, participation could be deemed an advantage when assessing applications for various supports.)

The mainstreaming of new scientific accomplishments into game management education is justified at all levels. It would be useful to accompany this with the publication of a short, practical guidebook for use as an educational tool.

Targeted further education and training would be useful not only for farmers, but also for teachers and professionals from the authorities and trade associations.

Beyond this, however, further research is necessary, on subjects such as: projecting the effects of habitat change; the impact of changes in agricultural plots and technologies; the provision of water; the impact of predators and their management; problems in game health; an economic analysis of farming.

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