ABSTRACT
The European hare, Lepus europaeus is widely distributed through Europe and Asia Minor and has been successfully introduced into Australia, Argentina, North America, and Sweden. There are a number of geographical races, but the census methods are suitable for most forms living in open country. Originally a steppedweller, the European hare has become adapted to mainly agricultural land. In many countries it is an important game species and subject to management, including population estimates. In the past, these were mainly based upon two methods, capture-release-recapture and belt assessment. Being mainly crepuscular/nocturnal, the European hare can be easily observed in spotlight when feeding in open fields at night. The chapter describes several types of road-side counts of hares at night by use of car and spotlight along fixed routes.
