Selectivity and efficiency of predator control methods: a case study from a Mediterranean hunting ground

Predator control is a widely used management tool worldwide to reduce the impact of opportunistic predatory species, but in some contexts where predators are controlled to reduce negative impacts on game species, there are concerns about the selectivity and efficiency. In this case study, we evaluated the selectivity and efficiency of trapping and hunting methods targeting red fox Vulpes vulpes , Eurasian magpie Pica pica , and wild boar Sus scrofa during different effort periods over three years (2021–2023), in a Mediterranean hunting ground located in Spain where a wide range of protected species occurred. A control specialist used authorized restraint traps during 9326 trap‐days while a group of trained hunters with dogs conducted 101 hunts, including fox den hunting, sit‐and‐wait for wild boar, and drive hunting targeting both species. For the fox, the Collarum snare showed significant higher selectivity (95.24%) than the Belisle Selectif snare (83.33%), while no differences in efficiency were observed among periods for either of the snares. The cage‐trap for magpies achieved 99.44% selectivity, and it was more efficient from January to June, when the highest effort was conducted. The most effective hunting method for fox was den hunting, and sit‐and‐wait was most effective for wild boar, with a higher hunting efficiency for the latter species from July to December. In areas holding similar predators, we advise increasing control efforts in winter–spring, coinciding with the breeding season of small game species; whereas, when targeting wild boar, its control should be conducted in summer–autumn. As the capture of protected species was anecdotal, this case study suggests that predator control through hunting and trapping, provided that they are conducted by trained hunters and control specialists, could be effective to reduce the abundance of target species in certain contexts.