Opportunities from conflicting objectives: Assessing differences in hunter objectives to enhance hunter experience

Abstract

Opportunities from conflicting objectives: Assessing hunter objectives to enhance hunter experiences. New Zealand’s ungulate game species have been managed as pests, with free access on public land without restrictions on season or the number or types of animals killed. The outcome has been low game animal numbers and trophy quality, affecting hunters’ satisfaction. A recent law change provides the opportunity to manage game animals, but successful management will require research to provide understanding of hunter motivations, the nature of hunting experiences that satisfy alternative motivations, and hunter responses to changed conditions. Hunter heterogeneity adds difficulty, but provides opportunities for enhancement by managing different areas for different objectives. This study measured hunt attribute salience for different groups of recreational sika deer (Cervus nippon) hunters to identify opportunities for enhancing recreational hunting experiences. An internet survey of New Zealand big game hunters collected personal data, including importance of hunting motivations. A second survey, sent to the 300 sika hunters identified in the first survey, sought information on recent sika hunts and preferences for future hunts, obtaining 134 (45%) complete responses. Factor analysis and cluster analysis identified three different groups of sika hunters based on game hunting motivations and avidity. Preferences for sika hunt attributes were explored with an economic choice experiment that employed a pivot design around observed individual sika hunt travel distances. Latent class analysis of choice experiment responses identified three discrete groups of hunters seeking different activity settings. Results identify significant hunter preference heterogeneity. One group was largely insensitive to conditions, but obtained very low benefits from hunting. Other groups valued hunting very highly and sought specific experiences. Value cluster membership and motivations were not significant predictors of activity setting preferences, but avidity was. Sika hunt attributes, such as deer density, trophy potential and presence of other hunters have significant effects on hunt benefits and site choice. There are significant potential gains from active management of sika deer and sika hunters to provide conditions more amenable to satisfying hunts for specific groups, and to avoid goal interference within and between different groups of hunters.