Resident Hunters Research Articles

Hunter risk sensitivity to ticks and tick-borne disease in Illinois

ABSTRACT Tick-borne disease (TBD) is a public health issue, especially for hunters. Data were obtained from a mailed survey (n = 2,948, response rate = 59%) of Illinois adult resident hunters. Consistent with earlier work, hunter perception of vector-borne diseases could be categorized into an overall risk sensitivity index consisting of three clusters of respondents: no risk (40%), slight risk (45%), and moderate risk (15%). As predicted, individuals in the no-risk cluster consistently reported the lowest mean scores for the awareness of ticks, prior experience with ticks, perceived risks with ticks, and protective behavior indices. People in the moderate risk cluster reported the highest means on these indices. In contrast, means for those in the slight risk cluster were consistently between individuals in the no-risk and moderate risk clusters. Results underscore the need for identifying strategies to improve personal protective adoption measures by hunters with low-risk perception.

Regulatory Performance of Tourist Hunting and Legal Game Meat Trade in Tanzania

Recently, the government of Tanzania has legalized the sale of game meat under special rules namely the Wildlife Conservation (Game Meat Selling) Regulations of 2020 as an effort to curb illegal hunting. The regulations mention tourist hunting as one of the sources of commercial game meat. Other sources include resident hunting; wildlife farms/ranches/zoos; and culling, cropping, and control of problem animals. In this paper we examine the performance of tourist hunting, legal game meat in the country, and its regulatory framework from the perspectives of key stakeholders, including both public and private or non-state stakeholders. We use a variant of Likert’s methods of summated ratings and the cumulative ordinal regression model to analyse and compare the opinions of stakeholders. We found that there are still challenges, especially related to sources of wild animals. Operators of game meat facilities find it difficult to source game meat from tourist hunting companies and the latter are not willing to offer the meat to licensed operators of game meat shops. Our results support the hypothesis that authorization of the game meat trade can serve as one of the boldest conservation tools to mitigate illegal poaching if well-planned and regulated. The results of the cumulative ordinal regression model predict an improvement of 42% in the performance of regulatory framework per unit improvement in the procedures for application and registration of game meat selling facilities (p = 0.010). The paper recommends leveraging stakeholders' active engagement and strengthening cooperation between game meat value chain actors and law-enforcement authorities. An innovative participatory model for enforcing game meat sanitary and safety regulations is also recommended to avoid potential health risks to consumers. It underscores the importance of institutional capacity building, awareness creation, and adequate funding in the fight against illegal hunting and game meat trade. In order for the country to be able to achieve sustainable game meat trade in the country, the challenge of limited wild animal sources has to be addressed, possibly by supporting the establishment of privately owned wild animal farms, ranches, and zoos, this also has its own challenges that need to be addressed too.

Texas hunters' attitudes toward wild pigs (Sus scrofa) and their management: an applied approach for wildlife managers

AbstractChoosing and executing a wild pig management strategy is often a considerable challenge for wildlife managers due to the wide variety of potential strategies and stakeholder preferences. Our research aims to understand management preferences for and tolerance of wild pigs among Texas resident hunters within 8 managerial districts of Texas. We applied the Potential for Conflict Index (PCI2) to estimate potential management preference conflicts within each district. From 24,201 questionnaires completed in 2019, we found that, on average, 74% of respondents across all management actions in each district were found to be acceptable. Resident respondents were overall intolerant of wild pigs and were least tolerant in the San Angelo district. Study findings are useful in informing socially acceptable and contextually appropriate wild pig management plans. Our research serves as an approach that matches the units of analysis with the units of management for decision‐making.

Regulations and hunter preference affect mountain goat harvest and horn length

Wildlife management attempts to balance consumptive and non‐consumptive values to manage hunting opportunities, considering population resilience. Mountain goats Oreamnos americanus are particularly sensitive to harvest. Using data from 33 792 mountain goats harvested in British Columbia (BC), Canada, between 1977 and 2019, we performed Bayesian regressions to examine the effect of regulations (limited entry hunting (LEH) or general open season (GOS)) on yearly harvest and harvest sex ratios. We also investigated temporal trends and the effect of licensed hunter residency (resident in British Columbia, or not) on harvest sex ratios. We then examined how horn length of harvested mountain goats was influenced by sex, year of harvest, age and mountain range. The more restrictive LEH regulations generally reduced harvest of mountain goats. The annual proportion of males harvested appeared independent of regulation and increased over time. Non‐resident hunters harvested a greater proportion of males compared to resident hunters. The combined length of the first and second horn growth increments decreased slightly with age at harvest for males but increased for females, suggesting a possible very weak hunter selection for males with rapid early horn growth and possibly against lactating females. Our study supports LEH regulations and hunter education to distinguish sex and age as key tools for mountain goat harvest management. Similar tools could be considered to manage other ungulates that are sensitive to harvest.

Physical geography trumps legal protection in driving the perceived sustainability of game hunting in Amazonian local communities

A considerable proportion of tropical protected areas are Sustainable Use Reserves (SURs), where socio-biodiversity protection and sustainable resource extraction are the main goals. Subsistence hunting is the most widespread form of subcanopy forest resource extraction, and often depletes game populations within SURs, but the degree to which these extractive activities are sustainable remains questionable. To assess patterns of hunting sustainability within SURs, we systematically examined the local ecological knowledge of 211 resident hunters living in 93 communities located within and immediately outside nine SURs of Brazilian Amazonia. We used mixed models to assess the effects of settlement features (distance to reserve boundaries, size, age, distance to urban centers, and extent of floodplain areas) on local perceptions of game abundance, the prey profile of the most consumed game species, and overall levels of local game depletion. Hunters consistently reported that game populations were less impacted within communal catchment areas containing larger amounts of floodplain habitat and farther from urban centers. In these areas the overall game abundance was perceived to be higher, low-fecundity species were most consumed, and harvest-sensitive species were least depleted. Local SUR communities within this context accrued higher benefits from higher wild-meat availability, but settlement age and size had no effects on hunted species. Evidence-based conservation management plans in tropical protected areas should focus on reducing wild meat demand in urban areas and managing both, the local aquatic animal protein in floodplain areas to relieve pressure on terrestrial game species, and the offtake of game populations at inland sites lacking access to aquatic animal protein.

Indigenous peoples as sentinels of change in human‐wildlife relationships: Conservation status of mountain goats in Kitasoo Xai'xais territory and beyond

AbstractLocal people can act as sentinels for change, especially for wildlife populations not monitored by centralized governments. Responding to concern expressed by the Kitasoo Xai'xais (KX) First Nation over a decline in mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) sightings, our community‐academic partnership assessed the conservation status of goats in KX territory and beyond in British Columbia by evaluating three independent information sources. Aerial surveys (2019 and 2020) over 542 km2 revealed a low‐density population (mean 0.25, SD 0.12 goats/km2), typical of peripheral coastal range. Interviews with KX Knowledge Holders revealed that sightings from sea level have declined sharply over 40 years, a period during which temperatures have increased and snowpack has decreased. Finally, Kill data (1980–2018) showed that kills/hunter/day initially increased among guided hunters before plateauing, but declined among resident hunters (~70% of hunt days) in both coastal and interior BC. Convergent patterns among datasets suggest that coastal goats declined in abundance and/or reduced use of low‐elevation habitat, disrupting a millennia‐old relationship between KX people and goats, thereby posing a conservation concern. Broadly, our work shows that detecting threats to peripheral populations, and wildlife in general, can be informed and empowered by the knowledge of place‐based peoples and associated decentralized management. Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation mountain goat research illustrates roles of Indigenous peoples as sentinels of population and ecosystem change.

The influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic on spring turkey hunting

AbstractThe rapid rise of COVID‐19 and the governmental response to slow the spread of the pandemic occurred prior to, or during, the opening of the spring wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hunting seasons (Mar to May 2020) in the United States. The response of fish and wildlife agencies to the pandemic varied throughout the United States during the spring turkey season. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) suspended the sale of non‐resident, spring turkey hunting permits on 30 March 2020 in a proactive effort to minimize the spread of COVID‐19. In this study, we evaluated the extent that the COVID‐19 pandemic affected the spring turkey permit sales and harvest in Nebraska, USA. We combined information from NGPC's electronic licensing system, responses from 2017–2019 spring turkey hunter surveys (pre‐pandemic), and responses from the 2020 (during the pandemic) spring turkey hunter survey, which included additional questions about the influence of COVID‐19 on respondents' hunting experiences. There was an increase in the number of resident hunters (23%) and resident permits sold (26%) and a decrease in the number of non‐resident hunters (−88%) and non‐resident permits sold (−89%) in 2020 as compared to the 3 years prior. Further, non‐residents, more so than Nebraska residents, claimed that the COVID‐19 pandemic affected their spring turkey hunting in their precautions taken, overall satisfaction, pre‐season planning for the spring turkey season, and plans made prior to the outbreak. Wildlife agencies should prepare for the potential effects that significant disruptions (like that observed with the COVID‐19 pandemic) might have on hunting participation, especially if a significant portion of revenue is derived from non‐resident permit sales, and develop plans and policies so that they can react appropriately.

Landscape features and caribou harvesting during three decades in Newfoundland

ABSTRACT Landscapes can influence the distribution of harvesting by influencing animal distribution and hunter access. For species like caribou, Rangifer tarandus, decades-long shifts in abundance and distribution might alter such relationships, but few studies have been conducted at such scales. We examined relationships between landscape features and 21,380 harvest records of migratory caribou in Newfoundland during caribou population growth (1980s), cessation of growth (1990s), and decline (2000s). We focused on features hypothesized to influence the distributions of caribou and hunters: lichen landcover, roads, cutblocks, outfitter camps, power lines, and towns. We uncovered larger harvests by resident hunters of male and female caribou among lichen landcover, likely providing preferred caribou forage, and larger harvests by non-resident hunters of male caribou away from towns, reflecting the locations of outfitter camps. Only during later decades, resident harvests occurred nearer power lines and cutblocks, likely providing hunter access and reflecting risk-prone foraging by caribou. We surmise that the harvest was facilitated by open habitats, preferred by caribou, and anthropogenic features leading to hunter access, especially as the caribou population declined. Such knowledge at broad scales is increasingly important in an era of widespread disruption to landscapes.

Association between weather and Dall's sheep Ovis dalli dalli harvest success in Alaska

Although extensive research has been conducted on a variety of factors that influence wildlife harvest rates, few studies have quantified the impact of weather on harvest success. As global warming continues to contribute to unprecedented changes in local weather regimes, particularly in arctic and alpine ecosystems, understanding how these changes impact human–wildlife interactions will become increasingly important and relevant for wildlife managers. Therefore, we used a long-term dataset (1999–2015) on Dall's sheep Ovis dalli dalli, an alpine species in Alaska, USA, as a case study to explore how changes in local daily weather has affected hunter harvest success. We used generalized linear mixed models to estimate relationships between daily harvest count and weather variables using three separate models; all hunters, resident hunters and non-resident hunters. Weather variables included daily mean relative humidity, precipitation, air temperature and wind speed. For our model including all hunters, which excluded wind, we estimated that a mean increase in relative humidity, precipitation and temperature from one day to the next resulted in an 11.7, 4.3 and 2.9% decrease in daily harvest, respectively. The effect of relative humidity influenced harvest count two to three times more than all other weather variables across models. This study contributes to a limited body of knowledge on quantifying the impact of weather on harvest success and about how changes in weather affect hunter and wildlife behavior. Advancing knowledge on how weather influences variation in harvest may facilitate effective strategies for adapting hunting regulations to meet harvest and population goals.

The challenges facing resident hunting in western Tanzania: the case of the Ugalla ecosystem

The legal subsistence hunting scheme (resident hunting) in Tanzania was temporarily banned in 2015 because it was considered ineffective. So far, no attempt has been made to understand the challenges facing the scheme, especially from the hunters’ perspective. This study used 8 hunter focus groups (in total, 73 hunters) and 26 key informants in the Ugalla ecosystem of western Tanzania–from June to September, 2017–to determine the challenges faced by the resident hunting scheme before the ban, and the areas of the scheme that participants felt required improvement. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were digitally recorded. In general, study participants perceived that resident hunting regulations were poorly enforced, leading to a number of incidents such as the killing of unauthorized game, hunting outside specified areas, false reporting of animals killed, and overshooting of quotas. They noted that hunting areas were under pressure from poaching, and encroachment by pastoralists and subsistence farmers. Conflicts over hunting areas and hunting rights between resident and trophy hunters were common. Participants recommended capacity strengthening to effectively administer resident hunting, through ensuring availability of human and financial resources. They perceived active hunter engagement as the best way to deal with poaching and non-compliant behaviour by hunters. Measures to guarantee coexistence between resident and trophy hunters were recommended, for example, a thorough review of hunting area boundaries to minimize hunting area conflicts. Further study should consider the impact of hunting on wildlife in hunting areas in relation to the issues reported in this study.

Access to public resources on private property: Resident hunter perceptions of the commercialization of wildlife in Montana

The management of public wildlife resources on private property presents unique challenges for state wildlife agencies. Some private landowners in Montana have attempted to capitalize on the public wildlife found on their land by leasing the property to outfitters for the exclusive use of their paying clientele. This practice has created a rift between landowners and outfitters versus public hunters. This exploratory study examines hunter perceptions of the commercialization of wildlife in a western state, and the impact they believe it is having on the hunting experience. Qualitative data were obtained from a mail survey of Montana resident elk hunters. Analysis revealed that hunters are concerned about a perceived decline in hunting opportunities on private land that is occurring, at least in part, as a result of the commercialization of wildlife in the state. The findings enhance our understanding of hunting issues on private property in modern society. Management implications:●The study indicates that hunting is an important recreational activity for resident hunters in Montana.●Wildlife is a public trust resource in the United States that is found on both public and private land.●Hunters are concerned about the commercialization of wildlife in Montana and believe it contributes to less access to private land for hunting.●Access to public wildlife resources on inaccessible state land is an important issue to hunters.

The comparative economic value of bear viewing and bear hunting in the Great Bear Rainforest

ABSTRACTThis study is the first to compare the economic value of bear viewing and trophy hunting of both grizzly (Ursus arctos) and black bears (Ursus americanus) in the Great Bear Rainforest (GBR) in British Columbia (BC), Canada. We assess trends in these two sectors of wildlife recreation over several decades and analyse their economic impacts based on 2012 data. We examine both non-resident bear hunting with guide outfitters and independent local (resident) hunters, as well as bear viewing offered by tourism companies in the GBR. We provide strong evidence that bear viewing in the GBR is generating far more economic value: bear-viewing companies generated over 12 times more in visitor spending than guided non-resident and independent resident hunters combined ($15.1 million versus $1.2 million) and 11 times more in government revenues ($7.3 million versus $660,5001). Such findings should be useful to policy-makers in determining allocations of public resources and priorities for conservation efforts. In our assessment, if bear viewing expands at its current rate, the economy of the GBR will experience few negative impacts from a ban on bear hunting.

Hunting Issues in Contemporary Society: Perspectives of Resident Hunters in Montana (USA)

Hunting is a popular recreational activity in many rural regions of the United States. There is a need for information about individuals who hunt, including their attitudes and perceptions of the activity. The objective of this research was to identify issues affecting hunters in modern society. This study took a qualitative approach to data collection and examined hunting issues in Montana. Data were gathered from a mail survey that used open-ended questions. The survey was sent to a random sample of resident elk hunters. Responses revealed five central concerns of hunters in Montana. These included the presence of wolves on the landscape, the commercialization of wildlife, nonresident hunters, high license prices, and motorized vehicles and the hunting experience. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of hunting issues in contemporary society.

Monitoring the endangered population of the antelope <i>Kobus leche smithemani</i> (Artiodactyla: Bovidae), in the Bangweulu ecosystem, Zambia

Black lechwe (Kobus leche smithemani) is a semi-aquatic medium sized antelope currently enlisted on the IUCN red list of endangered species and is only endemic to the Bangweulu basin of Zambia. Its population has significantly decreased due to floods that took place during the period 1930-1940 from over 250 000-15000 leading the Zambian government to gazette all habitats of Black lechwe into state protected areas, and to establish urgent management strategies needed to save the remaining population from extinction. Using retrospective data, our findings show that the population has increased from 15000 animals in 1954 to 55 632 in 2009. The current population is estimated at 34.77% (55 632/160 000) of the carrying capacity of the Bangweulu basin. Although the Black lechwe is one of the 42 species offered for consumptive utilization by the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), only 0.12% and 0.08% of the current stock was offered for safari and resident hunting annually for the period 2005-2009, respectively. Annual quota utilization were estimated at 67% (n=37) and 81% (n=37) for safari and resident hunting, respectively. Hence, overall income obtained from utilization of Black lechwe is very low accounting for only 2.1% of the total revenue earned from wildlife utilization. Although the current population trend is showing a unit increase of 639 animals per year, it is still far below levels ideal for the lucrative utilization. In this study, we demonstrate that adverse ecological changes on wildlife species, can lead to their vulnerability and danger of extinction, and that their recovery to full carrying capacity may demand a considerable amount of time.

Population density estimates of some species of wild ungulates in Simanjiro plains, northern Tanzania

The Simanjiro plains in Tanzania are important asdispersal and breeding areas for wild mammals from theadjacent Tarangire National Park (Lamprey, 1964;Kahurananga, 1981). For decades, many wildlife areasin Tanzania including the Simanjiro plains have beenunder a legal hunting scheme (Baldus & Cauldwell,2004). Consequently, Simanjiro area has been dividedinto several hunting blocks leased to tourist hunters whoconduct licensed hunting from July to December eachyear (Baldus & Cauldwell, 2004; Rija, 2009). There isalso legal resident hunting occurring in the area duringthe same hunting period (Rija, 2009). However, illegalhunting is a major problem in Simanjiro as it occurs allyear round and causes more significant offtake than thelegal hunting (Rija, 2009). Increased hunting along withcontraction of wildlife habitats undermines the plains’ecological importance and threatens the hunted popula-tions (Kahurananga, 1981; Stoner et al., 2007; Rija,2009).Legal tourist hunting has been partly implicated for theobserved large mammal population declines over manyTanzanian reserves including the Simanjiro areas (Caroet al., 1998; Stoner et al., 2007). A recent report showsthat wildebeest population in Tarangire ecosystem hasdeclined by 88% within the last 13 years because of rea-sons such as habitat loss (TAWIRI, 2001 in Bolger et al.,2008) and hunting (Caro et al., 1998; Rija, 2009).Understanding trends in exploitable ungulate populationsis crucial for sustainable utilization of resources and forimproving the management of protected areas. Informa-tion on population density in this important wildlife area isneeded to enable wildlife managers take informed man-agement decisions. Therefore, this study aims at docu-menting the density and abundance of the hunted speciesof ungulates.

Demand for Resident Hunting in the Southeastern United States

We modeled hunting demand among resident hunters in the Southeastern United States. Our model revealed that future hunting demand will likely decline in this region. Population growth in the region will increase demand, but structural change in the region's demography (e.g., “browning” and “aging”), along with declining forestland access will decrease hunting demand. The results suggested that programs encouraging younger and non-white populations to participate in hunting could mitigate a forecast hunting decline in the region. Increasing license fees, while politically risky, should increase agency revenues due to price-inelastic demand. The model developed here can be applied to understand and project hunting demand in the Southeast and adapted to other regions.

A Statewide Examination of Hunting and Trophy Nonhuman Animals: Perspectives of Montana Hunters

AbstractThe purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study was to extend our understanding of the motivations for trophy hunting. Hunting is an important recreational activity and part of the culture in Montana. Placing specific emphasis on the importance of obtaining a trophy nonhuman animal when hunting, the study examined the attitudes of resident hunters and nonresident outfitter-sponsored hunters. The study used a qualitative approach to data collection and developed 2 surveys that contained mostly open-ended questions. Results from 1000 surveys mailed to resident elk hunters and 1000 surveys mailed to nonresident outfitter-sponsored elk hunters indicated that nonresident outfitter-sponsored hunters were more likely than resident hunters to seek trophy-class animals. Respondents provided statements about the importance of obtaining trophy animals.

Information Sources and Knowledge about Chronic Wasting Disease in Colorado and Wisconsin

This research note examines hunters' and non-hunters' information sources and knowledge about chronic wasting disease (CWD). Data were obtained from surveys of Colorado (n = 1,315) and Wisconsin (n = 360) resident hunters, and resident non-hunters in Wisconsin (n = 253). In response to true/false knowledge statements about CWD, 32% of Wisconsin hunters, 40% of Wisconsin non-hunters, and 44% of Colorado hunters failed to answer at least half of the statements correctly. The most effective sources at improving Wisconsin hunters' CWD knowledge were the Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) website, WDNR secretary column, and local newspapers. The WDNR newsletter was the only source that improved Wisconsin non-hunters' CWD knowledge. In Colorado, effective sources included newspapers and the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) website and hunting regulations brochure. Understanding relationships among commonly used and effective sources of CWD information may allow wildlife agencies to better inform and educate their publics.

Demand for Wildlife Hunting in British Columbia

We present estimates of the demand for hunting licenses by residents and nonresidents in British Columbia for the period 1971–2000. We obtain estimates of both short‐run and long‐run price elasticities and discuss their revenue implications for future fee increases. We find the demand by nonresidents to be strongly correlated with U.S. income variation over the business cycle, but find no such role for cyclical income variation for resident hunters. The ability of the government to increase revenues from resident hunters turns out to be limited, particularly in the long run, while greater opportunities exist for raising revenues from U.S. hunters as short‐ and long‐run price elasticities of demand are quite inelastic. We argue that conservation surcharges on foreign hunters are one way of capturing more of the resource rent.

Using reproductive data to model American black bear cub orphaning in Manitoba due to spring harvest of females

Animal rights groups have lobbied for the cancellation of Manitoba's spring hunting season for American black bear (Ursus americanus), contending that hundreds of cubs are orphaned each year. We developed a mathematical model to estimate the number of black bear cubs that may be orphaned in Manitoba because of the spring hunting season. The model used information from annual questionnaires mailed to resident hunters, Outfitter Declaration Forms from operators who provide services to non-resident clients, and analysis of reproductive tracts (>200 for both spring and fall seasons) and tooth samples (>1,100). To accurately reflect the number of cubs orphaned each spring, the model accounted for cub losses (both litter reduction and total litter loss) prior to a female being harvested using values from the literature. Although the data was not used in the model, evidence from the examination of reproductive tracts suggests that total litter loss of hunter killed bears can be determined by examining the condition of the uterus and ovaries. The model estimated that on average, 41 cubs were orphaned for each of the spring seasons between 1996 and 2000. This number represents <2% of the estimated number of cubs that may die annually in Manitoba from natural causes.