Abstract

A 1967 survey of 1,140 New York hunters revealed several differences and similarities between respondents who were known to have violated deer-hunting laws and respondents who were not known to have done so. Violators of the laws legally killed significantly more deer per year of hunting experience than nonviolators. Although violators contacted law enforcement officers more often, and, in certain regions of the state, felt that there was justification for breaking game laws if it were done accidentally or for food, they did not feel justified for breaking the laws to obtain psychological benefits such as the challenge or excitement involved. Both groups of hunters had similar investrnent costs for equipment and similar attitudes about various hunting regulations. Dissatisfaction with those regulations centered mainly on laws that regulated the distribution of hunters and their behavior patterns rather than on laws that directly regulated the number of deer harvested. Laws that regulate deer hunting are important to the management of deer populations. Because violations of these laws are a serious problem to wildlife managers, especially in the Adirondacks and the surrounding regions in New York State (Fig. 1), there is a need to understand the differences between groups of hunters who violate the deer-hunting laws and groups who do not. Knowing the characteristics of these groups may lead to the development of more effective programs of information and education that are designed to reduce the number of violations of the hunting laws. We conducted a mail survey in New York to determine whether certain attitudes and characteristics of hunters who violated the state's deer-hunting laws were different from those of hunters who obeyed the laws. The study concentrated on the hunting experience of the two groups, certain of their socioeconomic characteristics, and their attitudes toward deer-hunting laws and man1 A contribution from the Recreation Research Unit of the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, the State University of New York College of Forestry, and the New York State Conservation Department, cooperating. agement procedures. This is a report on the results of that study (Amidon 1968).

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.