Planned and rational management of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas,1778) population in Vojvodina region (Serbia) for the past 50 years (1967-2016)

Research on the percentage of young in the brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pall.) population in Vojvodina has been carried out since 1967 until 2016. The number of hare in this period ranged from minimum 154,990 individuals (with an average density of the population of 8.06) in 2014 to a maximum recorded in 1975 with 301,680 individuals (with an average population density of 15.10). An average number of hares recorded during annual spring counts was 265,070 with an average population density of 13.15 individuals per 100 ha. The average annual recorded cull was 40,495 hares (15.28% of spring hare count). For this period, each year in the Laboratory for Hunting, tests were carried out on hare (eye lens), and all hunting clubs were obliged to deliver samples in order to be given permission to hunt. In total, there were 9,648 samples, which on average for the 49-year research period amounted to 197 per year. The largest number of samples was in 2009, when 300 hunting clubs, or two-thirds, delivered eye lenses to the laboratory for analysis. For the 1967-2016 period an average of 7,967 hare eye lenses (years 1971 and 1972 must be excluded with 605 and 587 eye lenses when a total hunting ban was made, and only hunting was carried out for scientific research). The average share of young for the observed period was 57.6%, with the minimum recorded in 2014 of 35.9% and a maximum of 70.3% in 1994. The reproductive index ranged from 1.09 to 2.33 hare per female in 1994. The results of our research showed the diversity of selected population dynamics indicators for all hunting grounds in Vojvodina that were compared with similar research in Europe. Hunting, as shown, doesn't jeopardize the population, but other factors such as intensive soil cultivation with large agricultural plots and excessive use of pesticides followed by improper use.