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Hunting is a critical issue in wild felid conservation, contributing to the decline of these species worldwide. Here, we present 18 years of a community‐based monitoring program, quantifying and characterizing wild felid hunting in two sustainable development reserves in Central Amazonia. We investigated how felid hunting was affected by the flood pulse and whether local human population size, habitat type, and total hunting events influenced felid hunting. We recorded 71 adult felids being killed, most of them in opportunistic events (88.7%), usually during hunting expeditions aimed at other game species. Four felid species were recorded in the hunts (Panthera onca, Leopardus pardalis, Puma concolor, and Leopardus wiedii) with jaguars accounting for almost half of all hunting events (N = 35). We found that more felid hunting events occurred during the flooded season, in more populated communities, and in várzea habitats. Most felids were hunted opportunistically, demonstrating the complexity of human‐felid interactions. Stories of attacks on humans are widespread in the study area, which may strengthen an instinctive fear of felids, driving their persecution. The increase of hunting events during the flooded season seems to be related to a higher probability of encounters between humans and wild felids. High waters make fishing difficult, therefore, locals hunt more, entering deep into the forest through flooded habitats. Since jaguars have an arboreal lifestyle during the flooded season in várzea forests, they are easily spotted by locals and have less of a chance to escape since they are slower and more exposed when swimming, which increases the probability of being killed. It is generally acknowledged that involving local stakeholders in conservation projects is essential for their success. In our case, collaboration among researchers and community members was fundamental to access hunting information. We show that community‐based monitoring empowers the local communities and facilitates data collection on sensitive topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surveying and monitoring of elusive animals with naturally low densities and large home ranges, such as many medium- and large-sized mammals, is challenging. Low capture rates can preclude detailed analyses. The use of bait has been used as a strategy to increase carnivore capture rates in many camera-trap surveys. Here, we test the effect of one carnivore bait type (mix of fresh sardine and egg) on the capture rates of carnivores and prey species in a camera-trap survey in the Central Brazilian Amazon. We also test if the quality of records of naturally marked felids for individual identification is enhanced by the use of bait. We found that the bait had no apparent effect on the carnivore capture rates, but it might have repelled some prey species. The number of suitable photos for individual identification of naturally marked felids was greater at baited stations than at unbaited stations, but this did not result in practical advantages for individual identification. We recommend that the use of carnivore bait should be carefully considered at the planning stage of camera-trap studies as it can negatively affect recording of prey species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]