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While the number of hunters is declining nationally, the demand for big game hunting opportunities in the western United States remains strong. This essay examines big game permit allocation processes in several western states and suggests the status of wildlife is shifting from a public trust resource to a commercial product. As trustees of a public resource, many state wildlife agencies allocate limited big game hunting permits via a random drawing, a method that promotes fairness in the distribution of permits. In recent decades, however, some western states have implemented programs designed to provide guaranteed permits to outfitters or their clients, which goes against the idea of wildlife being a public trust resource. In these situations, the government is effectively subsidizing the outfitting industry. These practices need to end, as state wildlife agencies have a legal obligation to manage wildlife for the public's benefit, not private business interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fall season each year, recreationists travel to rural regions across the United States to engage in hunting activities. While there are many reasons for hunting including the acquisition of food, social camaraderie, and enjoyment of nature, the possibility of obtaining a trophy specimen represents a powerful inducement for hunters to participate in a long-standing tradition. This essay analyzes the quest for trophy big game in contemporary American society from a sociological perspective and suggests that several factors have converged in recent decades that promote and encourage trophy hunting of nonhuman animals in the United States, including mass and social media, the hunting industry, and the commercialization of wildlife. The pursuit of trophy big game is an obsession for some hunters and contributes to the perpetuation of the hunting industry. Implications and risks of trophy hunting for the viability of sport hunting as a traditional recreational pursuit are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can a jungle be domestic, and a camp servant be a domestic servant? This article argues for a reconceptualisation of historical forests and jungles of India: spaces usually conceived of as wild and hostile in the popular imagination were also a domestic realm. Pushing the boundaries of traditional conceptualisations of both domestic and wild, I examine the lives of late nineteenth to early twentieth-century camp servants and colonial officers living and working in the central Indian hinterland. Building on my work on populations I have referred to as 'subaltern shikaris', typically 'tribal' employees in British big game hunting expeditions, and drawing from a vast literature left behind by European forest officers and big game hunters in central India, this article shows how servants and servitude were vital to establishing that jungle camps could indeed be quite domestic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a widespread exotic, invasive species that poses ecological, agricultural, and human health risks in invaded areas. Wildlife managers often manage wild pig abundance and expansion to mitigate these risks. The diversity of stakeholders involved in the issue of wild pig management complicates efforts to manage the species, and, to be successful, wildlife professionals should consider the human dimensions associated with wild pig management. The prevalence of privately owned lands in Texas, USA necessitates cooperation to enact effective management policies. In this study, we investigate the factors that affect a hunter's likelihood to participate in wild pig hunting. Multiple factors affect participation in wild pig hunting activities. We found that participation in other types of big game hunting increased the likelihood of participation in wild pig hunting and that wild pig hunting does not deter individuals from participating in other types of hunting activities. Additionally, hunters' attitudes toward wild pigs are important in determining the likelihood of participation in wild pig hunting. Finally, our results suggest that hunters are largely uninformed about wild pigs and do not hold the same perceptions, values, or tolerance levels of the species. The diversity of preferences among wild pig hunters necessitates that wildlife managers consider the desires of the public as well as natural resource needs in creating socially acceptable management plans for the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most confusing and least academically understood fields of the tourism industry at global level is ironically the lucrative and highly priced phenomenon of big game hunting which is often carried out as a means of recreational sport. Colloquially known variously as trophy hunting , sport hunting or safari hunting , the practice of big game hunting represents one of the fastest growing and perhaps most controversial aspects of both sport and income generating activities involving wildlife exploitation. The multi-billion-dollar industry, which is often targeted for criticism by animal rights groups that oppose killing of animals on moral grounds, is examined critically from a pro-hunting perspective. In a bid to establish whether trophy hunting qualifies as a true sport or not, the study unravels how human lust for money has reduced trophy hunting into a mafioso-like syndicate with little or no scruples for sporting and conservation principles which are essential ingredients to qualify hunting as a true sport. This study is therefore a milestone not only in putting together major principles upon which trophy hunting bases its claims as a sport, but also in unravelling secretive abuses of wildlife that deny trophy hunting the status of sport that its original hunting philosophers had envisaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Development from extracting oil and gas resources can have unintended effects on multiple ecosystem functions, with cascading effects on wildlife, ecosystem services, and local economies. Big-game hunting opportunities may be closely related to these effects, but empirical analyses of impacts of energy development on hunting are limited. We examined the influence of oil and gas development density on harvest efficiency, or harvest per unit of hunter effort, within all hunt areas in Wyoming, USA, from 2008 to 2014 for 3 big-game species: elk ( Cervus canadensis), mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus), and pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana). Using harvest/hunter day as the response variable, we compared linear mixed-effects models for each species that included total well density (i.e., all wells constructed up to the year of record), active well density (i.e., only those wells currently producing oil or gas in that year), or neither as a predictor variable. We used well densities as indicators of development in the absence of data specifying the locations of other oil and gas infrastructure (e.g., roads, well pads). Models also accounted for the fixed effects of road density, hunter density, proportion of the area that is public land with unrestricted hunter access, proportion of the area that is forested, year of observation, and random effects of variation among hunt areas nested within associated game herd units. Presence of oil and gas wells had a positive influence on harvest efficiency for elk and mule deer. Although there was no overall effect to pronghorn, there was a negative influence of wells on juvenile pronghorn harvest efficiency. Changes in harvest efficiency due to expanding oil and gas development could alter the time spent hunting by hunters and their chances of harvesting an animal. This could have subsequent impacts on hunter satisfaction, game populations, and economic revenue generated from recreational hunters. © 2016 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hunting deer with dogs (dog hunting) has a long tradition in the United States but has created conflict among deer hunters. Our objectives were to determine factors predicting support for dog hunting in North Carolina. Using a 2006 survey of North Carolina deer hunters, we evaluated factors that potentially influenced support for dog hunting (e.g., geographic region, hunting method, perceptions about deer populations and hunter participation, leasing practices). Nearly half (46%) of the deer hunters (n= 5,005) believed dog hunting should be illegal. Most deer hunters who opposed dog hunting neither dog hunted nor hunted in regions where dog hunting had a strong history. Concerns among non–dog hunters mostly focused on competition for deer hunting opportunities. Our results indicate a need to promote greater awareness among the diverse hunting groups and suggest dog hunters may be important allies in efforts to acquire large contiguous tracts of hunting land. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examined a typology of female hunters, factors constraining participation, and negotiation strategies females used to overcome constraints. A survey of Oregon hunters was conducted in the summer of 2010 to understand hunting characteristics using the 2008 big game license database (n= 392). We created a typology of female hunters using a cluster analysis of Recreation Experience Preference items. Four clusters were identified: less-engaged, family oriented, nature-sport, and all around enthusiast. Analysis of variance revealed differences among female hunter segments. Differences existed among the four groups on both constraints and negotiation strategies. One of the notable groups was the family-oriented hunter. This type of hunter was the most likely to perceive constraints and the most likely to utilize negotiation strategies to increase their participation in hunting. Findings reveal nuanced differences between types of female hunters. These findings can assist managers with outreach strategies and facilitate future female hunting participation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Accurate harvest reporting is critical for wildlife management. Rural Alaskan communities reported a median of 42% of moose harvested via traditional harvest tickets compared to those reported in household surveys. This harvest-report ratio did not change over time. Twice as many moose were reported harvested during subsistence household surveys (n= 8,039) than on hunter harvest tickets (n= 3,557). Percentage of the community that was indigenous, used and shared moose, and absence of a wildlife biologist or road access were associated with low harvest-report ratios. Analysis revealed that household surveys provide important information about moose harvest rates and their use should be expanded. Reporting rates might be improved by building trust through respectful dialogue between hunters and managers and by placing more emphasis on the benefits of reporting harvests and less emphasis on enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines relationships between hunter specialization and activity substitutability. Data were obtained from a mail survey of 6,983 deer hunters in eight states and 2,584 elk hunters in three states. Activity substitutability was measured by asking what activity would provide the same satisfaction as deer or elk hunting. Between 41% and 59% of deer hunters and 38% to 46% of elk hunters reported substitutes such as fishing and other big game hunting. Cluster analyses of hunter skill, centrality, equipment, and experience revealed four specialization groups (casual, intermediate, focused, and veteran). Casual hunters were most likely to report a substitute followed by intermediates, focused, and veterans. This inverse relationship between concepts was consistent across states and species hunted. Veteran hunters were most likely to report other big game hunting as a substitute, whereas casual hunters in many states were most likely to consider fishing as a substitute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies suggest hunter discarded viscera of big game animals (i.e., offal) is a source of lead available to scavengers. We investigated the incidence of lead exposure in bald eagles in Wyoming during the big game hunting season, the influx of eagles into our study area during the hunt, the geographic origins of eagles exposed to lead, and the efficacy of using nonlead rifle ammunition to reduce lead in eagles. We tested 81 blood samples from bald eagles before, during and after the big game hunting seasons in 2005-2010, excluding 2008, and found eagles had significantly higher lead levels during the hunt. We found 24% of eagles tested had levels indicating at least clinical exposure (>60 ug/dL) during the hunt while no birds did during the non-hunting seasons. We performed driving surveys from 2009-2010 to measure eagle abundance and found evidence to suggest that eagles are attracted to the study area during the hunt. We fitted 10 eagles with satellite transmitters captured during the hunt and all migrated south after the cessation of the hunt. One returned to our study area while the remaining nine traveled north to summer/breed in Canada. The following fall, 80% returned to our study area for the hunting season, indicating that offal provides a seasonal attractant for eagles. We fitted three local breeding eagles with satellite transmitters and none left their breeding territories to feed on offal during the hunt, indicating that lead ingestion may be affecting migrants to a greater degree. During the 2009 and 2010 hunting seasons we provided non-lead rifle ammunition to local hunters and recorded that 24% and 31% of successful hunters used non-lead ammunition, respectively. We found the use of non-lead ammunition significantly reduced lead exposure in eagles, suggesting this is a viable solution to reduce lead exposure in eagles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Harvest models are often built to explore the sustainability of the dynamics of exploited populations and to help evaluate hunting management scenarios. Age-structured models are commonly used for ungulate population dynamics. However, the age of hunted individuals is usually not recorded, and hunting data often only include body weight and sex limiting the usefulness of traditional models. 2. We propose a new modelling approach that fits data collected by hunters to develop management rules when age is not available. Using wild boar Sus scrofa scrofa as a case study, we built a matrix model structured according to sex and body weight whose output can be directly compared with the observed distribution of hunted individuals among sex and body weight classes. 3. In the face of the current wide scale increase in populations of wild boar, the best feasible option to stop or slow down population growth involves targeting the hunting effort to specific sex and body weight classes. The optimal harvest proportion in the target body weight classes is estimated using sensitivity analyses. 4. The number of individuals shot in each sex and body weight class predicted by our model was closely associated with those recorded in the hunting bag. Increasing the hunting pressure on medium-sized females by 14·6% was the best option to limit growth rate to a target of 0·90. 5. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate that targeting hunting effort to specific body weight classes could reliably control population growth. Our modelling approach can be applied to any game species where group composition, phenotypic traits or coat colour allows hunters to easily identify sex and body weight classes. This offers a promising tool for applying selective hunting to the management of game species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on two national contingent valuation studies dealing with the extent and economic values of hunting in Sweden. The first valuation study was conducted in 1987 and the second in 2006. Both the game resource and the hunter community have undergone changes in the two decades covered by the surveys. An important purpose of the latter survey was to repeat relevant parts of the former one, which created a rare opportunity to compare valuations covering a very long time span. Moose hunting value and its determinants were compared between the two studies, showing that significant changes have taken place. Our analysis suggests caution in using results from old contingent valuation studies for e.g. benefits transfer exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in effective stakeholder collaboration in moose management is growing in Finland. Success is critical because moose are an ecologically, socially, and economically important game animal and pest, especially in Fennoscandia. In Finland, for over two decades regional multi-stakeholder meetings have had an informal consultative role in regional planning for moose hunting. Moose management in Finland informs an understanding of the key factors behind stakeholder perceptions of legitimate and acceptable policy. We found a marked difference in the perspectives of regional administrators responsible for arranging stakeholder meetings and stakeholders participating in the meetings with respect to the impact of collaboration on management. The evidence suggests, given the current national institutional context, that neither perceived progress in communication between representatives nor broadening of stakeholder representation would strongly improve the level of general satisfaction with current policy in conflicting situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals pursuing big-game hunting in the Southwestern United States are presented with a wide array of opportunities, including public lotteries and market-based allocations (e.g., auctions, private transactions). The marketing of big-game hunts and associated services by landowners, guides, and outfitters is increasingly common and supported by state-sanctioned, transferable permit allocations. Given the range of permit and services combinations now available in the market, prices can be expected to vary systematically across attributes of the hunt transaction. Using a sample (n = 942) collected from information posted online and a follow-up telephone survey, this research employed hedonic pricing analysis to examine the regional market for big-game permits and associated hunting services in the Southwest. Estimation results allowed the implicit price of different attributes to be identified. Results also have policy relevance, including: understanding trends in ranch prices, assessing poaching losses, and evaluating the revenue generation of public entities in the regional market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Game managers emphasize hunting as the only realistic large-scale management tool currently available to control deer densities. Identifying the characteristics of hunters who place importance on deer hunting as a management tool, view deer damage as significant, or believe that current deer densities are too high could be valuable to game managers. Additionally, identifying demographic and behavioral characteristics of these hunters may allow innovative licensing regulations to reduce deer overabundance. Our analysis concluded that a determination of hunter typology is well suited to the method of latent-class analysis (LCA). We identified four categories of hunters, distinguished by their attitudes toward recent hunting regulation changes in Pennsylvania, damage deer cause to their surroundings, current deer populations, and availability of hunting land. We discuss the implications of these categories for game managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have reviewed Swedish forestry and hunting literature in order to investigate how the management of moose (Alces alces) in Sweden has changed during the 20th century, especially after the re-establishment of the wolf (Canis lupus) in the l980s. The frcus is on the perspective of moose hunters and of the forest industry since these are the two main factors in control of the size of the Swedish moose population. At about the same time as the Swedish moose population was reaching its all time high, there were reports that wolves were being spotted again in the country. Up to the first half of the 19th century, wolves were relatively abundant in Sweden. However, intense hunting led to their drastic decrease, so that in the beginning of the last century only a small number remained. As a result of being virtually extinct, the wolf was thus declared protected in 1965. Currently, the Scandinavian (i.e., the Swedish and Norwegian) wolf population has grown to a size of about 100 individuals. This might not sound like much in a relatively large country like Sweden but in areas where hunters already have had their culling ratio for moose decreased by the forest companies to minimize forest damage, the establishment of a single wolf pack has proven to be 'the final straw'. Thus, there are instances where hunters have gone on 'strike'; i.e., refusing to search for animals injured in traffic, as protest to this state of affairs. There are few instances (to our knowledge) where the forest companies have shown any increased interest in the 'wolf issue', which might be understandable from a commercial point of view but disastrous when it comes to their relationship with the hunters. We suggest that moose management in areas with wolves should be controlled by special regulations, taking both local and national interests into account and where ownership of the hunting ground should not be the sole consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most species, sport hunting of male trophy animals can only reduce overall population size when the rate of removal of males is so high that females can no longer be impregnated. However, where males provide extensive paternal care, the removal of even a few individuals could harm the population as a whole. In species such as lions, excessive trophy hunting could theoretically cause male replacements (and associated infanticide) to become sufficiently common to prevent cubs reaching adulthood. Here we simulate the population consequences of lion trophy hunting using a spatially explicit, individual-based, stochastic model parameterized with 40 years of demographic data from northern Tanzania. Although our simulations confirm that infanticide increases the risk of population extinction, trophy hunting could be sustained simply by hunting males above a minimum age threshold, and this strategy maximizes both the quantity and the quality of the long-term kill. We present a simple non-invasive technique for estimating lion age in populations lacking long-term records, and suggest that quotas would be unnecessary in any male-only trophy species where age determination could be reliably implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning in 1992, regulatory changes in Colorado shortened rifle hunting for buck deer to the first three days of the combined deer and elk rifle seasons. These changes represented a severe reduction in season length (40%-75%) and provided an opportunity to examine the impact of dramatic regulatory changes on hunters' beliefs, satisfaction, and behavior using a panel study design. Data were collected before and after the regulatory changes, from a panel of 1,018 rifle buck deer hunters (521 residents and 497 nonresidents). Satisfaction with the rifle buck deer hunting experience declined significantly for both resident and nonresident hunters after the new regulations were implemented. Hunters' beliefs about the consequences of the regulations and their level of support for the regulations explained a relatively large and significant proportion of the change in satisfaction levels. Beliefs about the consequences of and level of support for the regulations were significant predictors of the perceived level of regulatory constraint. In turn, the level of regulatory constraint predicted perceptions of overall constraint to rifle deer hunting and these perceptions were significantly related to actual participation in rifle buck deer hunting. Study results imply that regulations that are perceived as decreasing recreation opportunities can decrease overall satisfaction with the hunting experience. The authors suggest thresholds exist for regulatory constraints beyond which there are severe impacts on satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem contains the rare combination of an intact guild of native large carnivores, their prey, and differing land management policies (National Park versus National Forest; no hunting versus hunting). Concurrent field studies on large carnivores allowed us to investigate activities of humans and carnivores on Yellowstone National Park's (YNP) northern boundary. Prior to and during the backcountry big-game hunting season, we monitored movements of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), wolves (Canis lupus), and cougars (Puma concolor) on the northern boundary of YNP. Daily aerial telemetry locations (September 1999), augmented with weekly telemetry locations (August and October 1999), were obtained for 3 grizzly bears, 7 wolves in 2 groups of 1 pack, and 3 cougars in 1 family group. Grizzly bears were more likely located inside the YNP boundary during the pre-hunt period and north of the boundary once hunting began. The cougar family tended to be found outside YNP during the pre-hunt period and moved inside YNP when hunting began. Wolves did not significantly change their movement patterns during the pre-hunt and hunting periods. Qualitative information on elk (Cervus elaphus) indicated they moved into YNP once hunting started, suggesting that cougars followed living prey or responded to hunting activity, grizzly bears focused on dead prey (e.g., gut piles, crippled elk), and wolves may have taken advantage of both. Measures of association (Jacob's Index) were positive within carnivore species but inconclusive among species. Further collaborative research and the use of new technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry collars will advance our ability to understand these species, the carnivore community and its interactions, and human influences on carnivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Read the Feature Paper: Does trophy hunting matter to long‐term population trends in African herbivores of different dietary guilds?; other Commentaries on this paper: Monitoring required for effective sustainable use of wildlife and the Response from the authors: The assessment of the role of trophy hunting in wildlife conservation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]