Effects of shooting with hounds on size of resting range of Wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) groups in mediterranean habitat

Abstract

Resting sites of 8 Wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) groups were determined by radiotracking in the Montpellier garrigue. The locations of about 1,600 resting sites recorded during a 3 years period show that the animals have three seasonal ranges: May through August; September through December; January through April. There is a marked increase in area covered by the resting sites beginning in October, apparently induced by the onset of the hunting season, in mid-September. When the hunting season opens, mean distances between successive resting sites also increase, but decrease again after its closure. Analysis of these distances during the hunting season (September through December) revealed that movements were shorter (about 1,220 m) on days without shooting and longer (about 1,600 m) on days with driven game shooting. It confirms that shooting with hounds, a general practice in the South of France, is the main factor of Wild boar disturbance. Winter ranges (3,139 ha) were relatively large because of the wide-ranging movements of Wild boar groups returning from the areas where they had fled to, which were situated far from their initial summer ranges.