Does species composition of arctic geese recovered in prairie Canada vary by hunter residency?

Abstract

AbstractEstimates of goose harvest by the National Harvest Survey (NHS) in Canada are based on the assumption that species composition of harvest by non‐Canadians that hunt in Canada is equivalent to that of Canadians. Non‐Canadian hunters are not sampled for composition of species harvested, so differences in proportions harvested per hunter could lead to biased harvest estimates; bias would increase with increasing proportions of unsampled non‐Canadians in relation to sampled Canadian hunters. My objective was to test the assumption of equality of species composition between these 2 strata of hunters for Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba using recoveries of cackling (Branta hutchinsii), Ross's (Chen rossii), lesser snow (C. caerulescens caerulescens), and greater white‐fronted (Anser albifrons) geese marked south of Queen Maud Gulf in Nunavut, Canada's Central Arctic. I used multinomial logistic regression of recoveries between Canadian and non‐Canadian hunters controlling for hunting season. Non‐Canadian hunters selected Ross's geese over white‐fronted geese compared to Canadians hunting in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, where all 4 species are harvested. Thus, harvest estimates for Ross's geese may be biased low in Alberta and Saskatchewan and those for white‐fronted geese biased high. Waterfowl species harvested by non‐Canadians could be sampled to estimate and correct biases in the NHS. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.