A Profile of Modern Hunters in Burdur Province, Türkiye and Compared to European Data

Material

The Game Management Information System of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Burdur province, affiliated with the VI. Regional Directorate, has been selected as the study area. Burdur is located within the borders of the Mediterranean Region, its climate is cold and rainy in winter and hot and dry in summer. The vegetation of the province generally consists of Cedrus libani in the south, Pinus nigra in the west and north, and in the south Quercus coccifera and Pinus brutia, shrubs and herbaceous species [7]. There is a total of 17 state (Ağlasun, Ağlasun Sarıova, Akçaköy, Aziziye, Bucak Çeltikçi, Cimbilli, Çavdır, Düdenköy, Dirmil, Kayadibi, Kemer, Kestel, Kozluca, Bucak Melli, Pamucak, Tefenni and Büğdüz) hunting grounds were in Burdur-Türkiye.

The data concerning the research subject (hunters’ education, occupation, the hunting ground, and animal species they prefer to hunt) were selected and retrieved from the Game Management Information System. The Game Management Information System (AVBIS) is an official database, in which information about hunters is recorded and it operated by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye. Hunters registered in this information system are obliged to enter data about their education, occupation, the preferable hunting grounds and game species they prefer to gun to the information system, respectively. Since the hunters can access the database from individual accounts with their own passwords and national ID numbers, database pictures could not be included in the article due to the principle of protection of personal data and confidentiality of official documents. The database can be accessed at the AVBIS for the hunters with national ID numbers. Only the system administrator can see the hunter’s data provided to the system by entering own administrator`s password. Since hunters left some fields in the system blank, we encountered data deficiencies in this fields. Although there was a separate title on the age of the hunter in the system, none of recorded information was found in it. Therefore, the age status of the hunters in Burdur province was not evaluated. Some parts of the system should be reviewed, and missing information must be entered into the system by the AVBIS administrator. Only in this way, hunter profile can be accurately determined.

Permission was obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, by the decision under number 53741894-622.99-E.3090130, dated October 25, 2018, to access AVBIS data relating to Burdur Province. As a result of interviews with the system users and officials, it was determined that the AVBIS was established in 2013, but accumulated data was accurately and fairly processed in the system since 2015. This study evaluated the data for the 2015-2018 hunting periods. It was determined that 3185 hunters were registered in the system.

Method

The data obtained from the AVBIS system were evaluated using SPSS 22.0 software package (IBM 2013) program Chi-square independence test, which is one of the non- parametric analysis techniques, was applied to determine the age, education and occupational status of the hunters. Hunting ground and game species preferred by hunters were grouped with Anova-Duncan and their statistical significance levels were determined.

Educational Status of Hunters

Sub-titles under the title of educational status in AVBIS are unknown, primary education, secondary education, high school, associate degree, undergraduate, master and doctorate. Chi-square independence statistical method was applied to determine the distribution of hunters according to their educational status. The education level data, which obtained from a total of 3185 enrollee hunters in the AVBIS, show that 36.4% primary school graduates made up the largest share. This is followed by high-school graduate with 15.6% and secondary school graduate with 10.9%. The lowest rate is composed of doctoral degree graduates with 0.1% (P<0.01) (Table 1). The fact that the 25% unknown (there is no detail about why it is not known) title in the system has a significant percentage affects the statistical results and should be regulated in AVBIS system. Elimination of this deficiency in the system will enable to reach more precise results about hunter information.

Aegean regions hurters educational status was 40.94% primary school, 22.35% of the hunters stated that they were secondary school, 20% of them were high school graduates and 16% of them graduated from college [8]. According to Bora ME [9], decided that in his study 45% primary school, 17% of the hunters stated that they were secondary school, 26% of them were high school graduates and 12% of them graduated from college. According to the results obtained from the data of the study carried out in Bartın, 18% primary school, 17% of the hunters stated that they were secondary school, %34 of them were high school graduates and 25% of them graduated from college [10]. In Giresun hunters’ educational status were 21% primary school, 48% of them were high school graduates and 29% of them graduated from college. As a result of similar studies [8, 9, 10, 11], it was determined that educational status in the main of Turkish hunters were primary or higher education. In Europe largest portion of France, Germany, Spain, and Poland hunters comprises persons with secondary or higher education [12].

Professional Status of Hunters

The titles in the occupational status in AVBIS they have been reduced to eight main groups as unknown, retired, tradesmen, public employee, students, industry worker, private sector, self-employed and their statistical evaluations have been made. Chi-square independence test was applied to determine the distribution of hunters according to occupational groups. It has been determined that the largest share among occupational groups consists of self-employed 33.8% and public employees 23%, followed by tradesmen 17.5% and retirees 15.4%. Occupational groups had the lowest share with 1.7% private sector, 1.3% students and 0.3% industrialists (P<0.01) (Table 2).

When the questionnaire survey data about the occupational groups of the hunters were evaluated, it was seen that 24% of the hunters were retired, unlike the data obtained from the system. Self-employed 22%, public employees 19% and tradesman 17% followed this occupational group. Occupational groups with the lowest rate were private sector with 9%, industry worker with 7% and students with 2%. The Unknown title in the system is at a high rate and is one of the issues that should be regulated. It has been reported that the Aegean region hunters are 24% retired, 22% tradesmen, and the ratio of industrialists and civil servants is below 1% [8]. Bora [9], was reported that the hunters were mostly self-employed 28%, secondly public employee and tradesmen 15% at least 1% merchants. Keleş [10], conducted questionnaire survey in the province of Bartın, and in the light of the data found that 24% of the hunters were students and 18% were public employee and workers. Tradesmen with 4% are the hunter group who are least interested in hunting. It was reported that 26% of the hunters were workers, 17% were tradesmen, and the smallest 6% were students in Giresun province hunters [11]. It was determined that majority of hunters are self- employed, public employee, tradesmen, and retirees in Türkiye [8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. In Poland hunters’ professional status were unemployed <0%, student 10%, active 68% and retired 22%. Hunters profile of France 26.1% farmers is the highest and 5.2% unemployed and employees is the lowest [13, 14].

Hunting Ground Preferences of the Hunters

The Anova and Duncan test was applied to determine the hunting grounds and the hunted animal species preferred by the hunters and their statistical significance levels were determined.

It was observed that the highest catch in the hunting grounds of Burdur province was 45.4% in Kemer (P<0.05) (Table 3). The lowest catch was found in Pamucak with 9.76% (Table 3).

Table 3: Hunting ground preferences of the hunters. Note: Differences between means denoted by separate lower case are significant at level P<0.05; df1=16; df2=580, the differences between the means denoted by the same lower case are insignificant. It was determined that 31.92 percent of the hunters registered in the system in 2015-2018 were active hunting and that the data before 2015 was missing, and calculations were made accordingly.

Hunters were asked about the hunting ground they preferred most for hunting activities by means of a questionnaire. Hunter answers were 22% Bucak Çeltikçi, 20% Kayadibi, 17% Pamucak, 14% Çavdır and 12% Ağlasun Sarıova. The lowest rate with 2% was found in Bucak Melli and Pamucak hunting grounds. When compared with the data taken from the system, it was seen that the results were parallel to each other. In Türkiye [8, 9, 10, 11, 12] as well as in Europe [12], hunting is an important part of socio-economic activities, particularly in rural areas. Among the most important factors affecting hunters’ choice of hunting ground is the easily accessible distance of the hunting ground and the abundance of the preferred game species in this hunting ground. At the same time, the fact that the hunting ground is close to the settlements of the hunters is also economically important and increases the preferability of the hunting ground [10].

Preference for Game Species among Hunters

When the hunter preference for game species were examined, it was determined that Burdur Province were found as 96.45% C. livia, A. chukar 78.17% and L. europaeus 59.56% (P<0.01) the species with the highest share of preference comprising (Table 4). It has been revealed that the hunting percentage of S. rusticola, F. atra and G. gallinago species is quite low compared to other animal species (Table 4).

Differences between means denoted by the separate lowercase are significant at level P<0.01; df1=12; df2=584, the differences between the means denoted by the same lowercase are insignificant.

The hunters were asked the 5 animal species they hunted the most, and it was seen that almost all the hunters answered C. liva 95%, A. chukar 54% and L. europaeus 40% similar to the data obtained from the system. It was observed that hunters gave a small percentage of S. scrofa 9% and T. philomelos 7% responses. F. atra, S. turtur, G. gallinago and C. palumbus was not marked at all. In the study carried out in the Aegean Region, Ay, et al. [8], reported that the most preferred hunting animals by hunters were C. coturnix 77%, A. chukar 67% and L. europaeus 49%. Ay, et al. [8], reported that S. turtur, S. rusticola and M. strepera preference rates were found to be very close to each other but C. livia and A. anser it was quite low compared to other species. While Burdur Province and Aegean Region hunters prefer to hunt A. chukar and L. europaeus at a similar rate, it is seen that the hunting preferences of C. livia, S. turtur and M. strepera are completely different. Similarly, it was observed that hunters hunted L. europaeus at high rates in Tekirdağ and Burdur. It is seen that the hunters of Burdur Province do not prefer to hunt S. turtur, but the hunters of Tekirdağ Province prefer to hunt S. turtur 90%.

Although the hunting animal preferences of hunters vary regionally, mostly the game animals found in that region are preferred in the first place. Religious belief, traditions, customs and cultural transfers have a tremendous effect on the choice of game animals. In and around Urfa city in Türkiye, C. livia are not hunted because they are considered sacred. Similarly, B. tragocamelus in India is believed to have descended from a sacred ancestor and is not hunted. Muslim countries the S. scrofa meat is not eaten, wild boar hunt only because of trophy and the damage of the animal to the crops.

It has been reported that the most preferred hunting animals by the Aegean region hunters are C. coturnix 72.62% and A. chukar 67.29%, while the rate of A. graeca and A. anser hunters is quite low compared to other species [8]. It was determined that Thrace hunters mostly preferred to hunt geese, ducks, quails, rabbits, at least 2% partridges [12]. In the study conducted for the province of Bartın, it was reported that birds were preferred with a rate of 38% more than mammalians [10]. It was observed that Giresun hunters preferred mammals in the first place with 58%, and birds in the second place with a rate of 31% [11]. It has been seen that, hunters in Türkiye mostly prefer to hunt quail from birds and rabbits from mammals. In France, Spain, Finland, UK and Portugal the most important species are the quail 33.6 %and partridge 32.8% [14].

Finally, to mention the number of female hunters registered in the game management system in terms of both Türkiye and Europe. Hunting in the world is a basically masculine activity, recent years, it has been observed that women’s interest in hunting has increased in some European countries. European countries examples are found in Poland 3%, Finland and Austria, where approximately 10% of hunters are women [12, 14, 15]. The percentage of female hunters is in other European countries France 1.7%, Portugal 1%, Spain 1%, Finland 4.1%, and UK 10.5% [14]. In Türkiye no woman hunter was found in neither other academic studies and nor in our study data, conducted in Türkiye. There are no female hunters registered in the AVBIS system either.