History, Importance and Role of Hunting
Hunting and Hunting Tourism within PE “Vojvodinašume” represent a valuable part of the historical heritage with a tradition spanning several decades. The origins of organized hunting in this area is connected to the hunting grounds which are today successfully managed by PE “Vojvodinašume.” Since the state entrusted the enterprise with the management of the best big game hunting grounds in the country, the company has the responsibility, above all, to preserve and further improve them. The results of integrated management of forests and game clearly demonstrate the success achieved in this respect. By harmonizing forest and game management, the conditions were created for integrated management of forests, forest land, and game as natural resources of general interest. Through unified management of natural resources in accordance with generally accepted fundamental principles of protection and sustainable use of forests and game, the necessary prerequisites have been created for further advancement and refinement of the system of integrated management of forests and game.
One of the fundamental forms and methods of permanent and sustainable management of natural resources, as well as their rational use, is certainly hunting, organized and founded on modern scientific achievements and professional experience. Hunting is an activity concerned with the breeding, protection, and use of game, as one of the most important renewable resources. A very significant factor in managing hunting grounds is adherence to the requirements of laws and by-laws, as well as current plans in the field of nature and environmental protection. Hunting presupposes the application of knowledge and experience from forestry, nature conservation, veterinary science, agriculture, and other disciplines. Today, hunting throughout the world is increasingly connected with tourism and with activities related to the protection of nature and the environment, and this connection and interdependence will undoubtedly become even more pronounced in the future. For this reason, development will be based on the rational management of this natural resource — its preservation, improvement, use, and protection.
Species and Condition of Game Stocks
Big Game: Red Deer (Cervus elaphus L.), Fallow Deer (Dama dama L.), Mouflon (Ovis aries musimon Pall.), Wild Boar (Sus scrofa L.), and Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus L.).
Small Game: European Hare (Lepus europaeus Pall.), Pheasant (Phasianius sp. L.), Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix L.), and Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto).
Migratory Game: Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L.), Bean Goose (Anser fabalis Latham.), Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix L.), and European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur).
The breeding stocks of big game in the hunting grounds managed by PE “Vojvodinašume” have shown an upward trend. the big game breeding population in 2002, at the time of the establishment of PE “Vojvodinašume,” in 14 hunting grounds, numbered 8,369 individuals; in 2012, in 17 hunting grounds, 9,226 individuals; and in 2022, in 17 hunting grounds, 9,401 individuals.
Population of Breeding Stocks by Game Species in the Hunting Grounds of PE ‘Vojvodinašume’ in 2002
| Year | Red Deer | Wild boar | Roe Deer | Fallow Deer | Mouflon | PE “Vojvodinašume” |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2.815 | 2.963 | 2.365 | 73 | 153 | 8.369 |
Population of Breeding Stocks by Game Species in the Hunting Grounds of PE “Vojvodinašume” 2012.
| Year | Red Deer | Wild boar | Roe Deer | Fallow Deer | Mouflon | PE “Vojvodinašume” |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3.178 | 3.998 | 1.84 | 96 | 114 | 9.226 |
Population of Breeding Stocks by Game Species in the Hunting Grounds of PE “Vojvodinašume” 2022.
| Year | Red Deer | Wild boar | Roe Deer | Fallow Deer | Mouflon | PE “Vojvodinašume” |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3.601 | 4.24 | 1.233 | 257 | 70 | 9.401 |
The population and density of big game breeding stocks on a hunting ground area of 109,824 ha, calculated per 100 ha of hunting ground, are as follows:
- 2002: 8,369 individuals = 7.6 / 100 ha
- 2012: 9,236 individuals = 8.4 / 100 ha
- 2022: 9,391 individuals = 8.5 / 100 ha
With the achieved density and population of big game, the hunting grounds of PE “Vojvodinašume” rank among the leading big game hunting grounds in Serbia.
In enclosed hunting grounds and enclosed parts of hunting grounds, models of semi-intensive and intensive game breeding are applied. Game breeding (Red Deer, Fallow Deer, Mouflon, and Wild Boar) is also carried out in game farms with the aim of increasing the population of game stocks and improving the genetic potential of the breeding stocks.
One of the advantages of integrated management of forests and game lies in the significant commercial revenues generated in forestry. Thanks to these revenues, the hunting grounds of PE “Vojvodinašume” have the necessary financial support and material stability essential for smooth operation and further development.
Breeding, Protection and Production of Game
With its hunting grounds, game farms, and professional staff, PE “Vojvodinašume” is a leading bearer of hunting and hunting tourism as an economic activity in AP Vojvodina and the Republic of Serbia. Considering the fact that nearly 90% of the total red deer cull and 60% of the total big game cull in the Republic of Serbia are realized in the hunting grounds of PE “Vojvodinašume,” it is justified to say that hunting within PE “Vojvodinašume” is the driving force behind the development of the entire hunting sector in the country. The enterprise manages 110,000 ha of hunting grounds, of which over 27,000 ha are enclosed, predominantly forest hunting grounds, which enable intensive production, breeding, and use of big game. Enclosed hunting grounds serve for intensive, modern, and controlled breeding of big game, directly contributing to the increase in population density and to reducing potential damage in agriculture and forestry. The hunting grounds are predominantly managed with big game—Red Deer, Wild Boar, and Roe Deer—as indigenous species, while Fallow Deer and Mouflon are also present as allochthonous species of game. Large enclosed forest-meadow landscapes serve both as big game breeding areas and as hunting grounds where all bred species of big game are successfully hunted. In addition to large enclosed forest hunting grounds, the enterprise also owns specially arranged driven hunting grounds for Wild Boar, such as: Dubovac, Flamunda, Karakuša, Naklo I and II, Plavna, Ristovača, and Kamarište.
