The hare in Bosnia and Herzegovina: one game species, three legal frameworks

In the Federation, the Act classes the hare as furred game and among the species "protected by a close season": outside the authorised period, it may not be hunted, pursued or intentionally disturbed^[1]. The same Act defines hunting as an activity in the public interest, covering the protection and breeding of game, the management of hunting grounds and the sustainable use of populations, in the service of biodiversity^[1].

For the biology of the species (form, leverets, breeding), see our Brown hare profile in the game encyclopedia.

We have not found any public national statistics on hare numbers or game bags in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Monitoring is carried out through the management documents of each hunting ground: in the Federation, each hunting ground has a hunting management plan (lovno-gospodarska osnova) approved by the federal ministry and an annual plan approved by the cantonal ministry^[1]. To find out the situation in a specific area, you therefore need to contact the hunting ground manager or the competent cantonal ministry.

In the Federation, the federal Minister of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry sets by regulation the hunting season for game protected by a close season, after consulting the cantonal ministries^[1]. The 2008 regulation adopted on this basis includes a specific entry for the hare^[2]. Hunting grounds are established by the cantonal assemblies, which entrust their management to users by contract^[1]. Dates change with revisions: consult the regulation in force in the Official Gazette of the Federation.

Republika Srpska has its own Hunting Act, adopted in 2009 and amended in 2013; in 2024, the entity's government approved a draft new law to take account of developments in hunting and nature protection^[3]. The draft provides for the Hunting Association of Republika Srpska (Lovački savez Republike Srpske) to organise and coordinate hunting ground users, with the ministry retaining regulatory powers and oversight^[4]. Brčko District, for its part, applies its own Hunting Act, published in 2015^[5].

In the Federation, introducing new game species into a hunting ground requires authorisation from the federal ministry, on a proposal from the cantonal ministry, with an expert opinion and a health certificate for the animals^[1]. The Act also allows the federal minister to authorise the capture and keeping of game in enclosures, in particular to stock hunting grounds^[1]. For any project involving live hares, check with the competent cantonal ministry in the Federation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management in Republika Srpska, or the Government of Brčko District.

The principles of a successful return to the wild are set out on our page on returning hares to the wild. GIBIS, a game breeder based in Chatte, in the Isère department of France, raises young hares there and also offers wild-caught hares from Central Europe: see our hares.