Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) numbers are continually declining in many European countries. In this study we used data on the numbers of lapwings ringed annually as chicks in the Czech Republic, adjusted for ringing effort, to estimate regional population trends. We found a region-wide population decline in the Czech Republic between 1976–2004. The trends from ringing records were supported by data from a standardized national monitoring program. The decline in the number of chicks ringed was significantly correlated with the negative trends of national indices in seven of ten regions. The three remaining regions also showed low but non-significant rates of population decline. We found that the rate of decline was not equal among regions. The rate of population decline was significantly related to a derived index of hunting pressure. Therefore, regions with the most pronounced rates of population decline had relatively more shot birds at both staging and wintering areas. At the same time, we found no evidence for shifts in either mean recovery distances or hunting impact index. This study demonstrates that ringing records are not only a valuable source of data on bird recoveries, but also can be used for population monitoring.