Hunting and Fishing

Hunting

The rich and diverse flora of the Municipality of Kuršumlija has created suitable conditions for numerous species of mammals, birds, and reptiles (turtles, lizards, six species of venomous snakes, and others). The main game species in the hunting grounds of Kuršumlija are wild boar, hare, and partridge.

In the past, roe deer were also hunted, but due to their population decline they are now protected by hunting restrictions. Other game species protected by hunting bans include: deer, mouflon, squirrel, dormouse, badger, pine marten, stone marten, muskrat, wild pigeon, turtle dove, collared dove, pheasant, grey partridge, quail, wild goose, wild duck, grey heron, marsh birds, jay, goshawk, divers, sparrows, grebes, nightjar, woodcock, and others.

Permanently protected species include: otter, ermine, weasel, owls, falcons, eagles, hawks (except goshawks), divers, black and white storks, swans, herons (except grey heron), kites, avocets, cuckoos, rollers, kingfishers, hoopoes, wild geese (except bean goose and greylag goose), snipes (except woodcock), woodpeckers, songbirds (except hooded crow and jay), and many others.

Game species outside the protection regime include: wolf, jackal, wild cat, fox, polecat, hooded crow, and magpie.

The “Soko” Hunting Association was founded in 1899 as a shooting society, which later evolved into the “Soko” Hunting Association. It currently has 520 registered hunters and manages the “Kosanica” hunting ground covering a total hunting area of 65,271 hectares. The hunting ground includes roe deer, wild boar, wolves, foxes, wild cats, hares, pheasants, grey partridges, and less commonly wood pigeons and woodcock.

The “Šumata” (18,964 ha) and “Sokolovica” (7,075 ha) hunting grounds are managed by the “Toplica” Forestry Estate, which does not have permanent members but allows members of hunting associations to hunt with a one-day permit. Within the “Sokolovica” hunting ground, a mouflon sanctuary covering 26 hectares was established in 1987, and in 1997 the “Miloševa Voda” large game breeding ground was founded. This breeding area is used for raising European deer and wild boar on a fenced area of 466 hectares. It contains almost all facilities necessary for intensive game breeding, including a ranger’s house with accompanying economic buildings for storing animal feed, processing trophies, tools, and other purposes.

Fishing

The Municipal Sport Fishing Organization “Toplica” in Kuršumlija has around 250 members and belongs to the “South Morava II” Community of Sport Fishing Organizations, headquartered in Niš. Founded in 1947, it is considered the oldest sport fishing organization in the former Yugoslavia. Mountain rivers in the area are inhabited by trout and are rich in freshwater crayfish, especially the Štavska, Trebinjska, and Prolom rivers. In 2003, around 9,000 brown trout were introduced into the Lukovska River from Lukovska Spa to Merćez.

White fish species (chub, gudgeon, barbel, brook barbel, and nase) inhabit the Toplica River, Rankovca, Banjska River and its tributaries, Kosanica River and its tributaries (including the Prolom and Ravnosortska rivers), as well as the Grabovnička and Spanačka (Tmavska) rivers.