Abstract
To better manage wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations, we analyzed the relationships between sighting per unit effort (SPUE) of wild boar in gun hunting, and environmental factors affecting wild boars and agricultural damages. Path analysis suggested that snow fall and proportion of secondary deciduous forest had positive path coefficients on the SPUE of wild boar, and the SPUE of Sika deer (Cervus nippon) and gun hunting effort had negative path coefficients. Gun hunting effort was lower in areas of heavier snow. Interactions between snow fall and hunting affecting wild boar, and indirect competition between wild boar and Sika deer through vegetation damage by Sika deer, are both possible. SPUE of wild boar was significantly correlated to agricultural damage, and the relationship had different features from that of Sika deer. On the basis of these results, SPUE can be a target index for population management and helpful to select appropriate methods that depend on local conditions.
