Reported Harvest and Days Afield Among Waterfowl Hunters: Do Pre-season Contacts Make a Difference?

摘要

Wildlife management requires accurate harvest estimates. Because hunters harvest fewer large game species (e.g., moose, elk, deer) compared to other species, harvest numbers for these species are less subject to recall bias or errors. Small game species, however, are harvested in greater numbers over longer seasons and harvest estimates are more prone to recall bias, heaping, and multiplier effects (Beaman, Vaske, & Miller, 2005a, 2005b; Miller & Anderson, 2003; Schmidt & Chapin, 2014; Vaske & Beaman, 2006). Harvest record logs, mailed prior to the start of hunting seasons, are commonly used to reduce reporting errors. Researchers have assumed that record logs reduce recall bias and increase reporting accuracy by providing hunters an opportunity to accurately record harvest and days hunted per species.