Abstract
To examine effective programs for intensifying hunting pressure on the wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax), we analyzed the relationships between wild boar hunters’ harvest (WHH), and hunters’ hunting practices and environmental factors (e.g., the average of snowfall depth (ASD) and poor acorn production index (PAPI)) via structural equation modeling. For gun hunting, the number of hunting days (NHD) had the strongest direct effect on WHH, and NHD had a strong correlation with the number of used hunting grounds (NUHG). For snare trapping and feeding trapping (e.g., box traps and/or corral traps), the number of used trap setting grounds (NUTSG) had the strongest direct effect on WHH. For trappers who use both snare traps and feeding traps, NUTSG and the number of used traps (NUT) had the strongest direct effects on WHH. Our results suggest that programs extending hunting and trapping grounds would be effective in increasing WHH.
