Sportsperson's Motivations and Their Barriers Toward Waterfowl Hunting

The funding model of wildlife management agencies in the United States is largely based on selling licenses and stamps and thus is sensitive to the recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters. Hunting migratory... [ view full abstract ]

The funding model of wildlife management agencies in the United States is largely based on selling licenses and stamps and thus is sensitive to the recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters. Hunting migratory birds has precipitously declined since the 1990’s in the United States, with losses of over 500,000 hunters. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWWP) created a specific objective of increasing waterfowl hunters and others who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetland conservation. However to increase waterfowl hunters, there must be a greater understanding and assessment of the similarities in motivations among hunter groups (e.g., small game, big game hunters) to waterfowl hunters and identify what may prevent them from participating in waterfowl hunting. We sent invitations to a web-based survey of anglers and hunters spanning from nine states in the central United States. Questions sought to identify motivations, hunting preferences, and barriers to waterfowl hunting and used combinations of five-point Likert-type scale and best-worst scaling. In general, big game hunters ranked waterfowl hunting greater than small game hunters, and anglers. Sporadic waterfowl hunters (hunted waterfowl <2 out of 5 years) ranked access as the most limiting barrier, where anglers may ranked waterfowl hunting identification, rules and regulations, and access. All individuals regardless of group, ranked spending time outdoors as the highest motivation. Differences on the extent that factors were limiting varied among states and regions sampled. Understanding the constituent and how they view certain aspects of their outdoor recreation experiences will better influence how state agencies can target and market waterfowl hunting to them. In turn, this will allow for the state wildlife agency to revamp their R3 efforts and pass on valuable information to their counterparts in states that did not participate in the study.