Modern hunting aims at reducing the suffering of hunted animals, the ethicality of hunting, and the safety of hunting dogs and hunters. In present Master's thesis, we explored the effects of different methods for hunting of wild boar and brown bear on the selectivity, reliability and ethicality of culling of both species, as well as on the safety of hunters and hunting dogs. Data on the hunting outcomes of the target specimens were obtained by an online survey. We also obtained survey data from Croatia and Sweden, which were used to compare alternative methods of bear hunting, as in Slovenia only the hunting from the elevated seats is allowed. The databases were harmonised, merged and analysed (brown bear, n = 824; wild boar, n = 561) using univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. Our study demonstrates that hunting from elevated seats positively impacts ethical and selective hunting, shot reliability and, therefore, also hunter safety. Hunting methods performed from the ground are less reliable and less ethically sound. Drive hunts result in a higher proportion of animals being wounded and escaping, which means greater stress and suffering for the animal and elevated likelihood of the injured animal attacking the hunter or hound. In drive hunts with dogs, game animals are stressed throughout the hunt, unlike in hunting from elevated seat, where animals are stressed just at and after the shot. However, according to some experts, the drive hunt is one of the most effective ways of wild boar hunt. Our study indirectly confirms that baiting on feeding sites have a positive effect on the quality of brown bear hunting, as they allow hunting from nearby elevated seat.
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