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Analysis of Drivers of Spring Alligator Hunting in Texas And ANALYSIS OF DRIVERS OF SPRING ALLIGATOR HUNTING IN TEXAS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS by Elizabeth N. Pratt, B.S. A thesis submitted to the Graduate Council of Texas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science with a Major in Wildlife Ecology May 2021 Committee Members: Christopher Serenari, Chair Kristy Daniel Joseph Veech COPYRIGHT by Elizabeth N. Pratt 2021 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work I, Elizabeth N. Pratt, authorize duplication of this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only. DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to my mom and dad, Raegan and Aaron, for always being supportive of my dreams and aspirations, as well as moving me halfway across the country to complete this degree. I would also like to dedicate this thesis to Dr. Christopher Serenari for pushing me to always produce my best work. Finally, I would like to dedicate this thesis to the late Steve Irwin who inspired me by fueling my passion and love for alligators from a very young age. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge everyone that made this thesis possible. I would first like to thank Jon Warner from TPWD for working with me and providing the list of potential participants for my study. Next, I would like to thank all my friends for keeping me sane during this thesis as well as through the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically Bria Marty, James Caleca, and Katie Weppler. I would also like to thank the entire Serenari Lab (Elena Rubino, Jared Messick, Rebecca Cavalier, Dani Miller, and Skyler Shibuya) for helping test my instruments and providing feedback. I would also like to thank my grandma, Anna, for always being my sunshine. Finally, I would like to thank all of the participants for their time and their responses. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... xi CHAPTER I. POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICT AND PRINCIPLE-POLICY PARADOX AMONG SPRING ALLIGATOR HUNTERS ........................................................1 Abstract ........................................................................................................1 Introduction ..................................................................................................3 Principle-Policy Paradox .............................................................................6 Potential for Conflict Index .........................................................................8 Hypotheses .................................................................................................11 Methods......................................................................................................13 Study Setting ........................................................................................13 Study Design ........................................................................................16 Participants ...........................................................................................17 Recruitment ..........................................................................................17 Qualitative Interview Administration ..................................................17 Interview Data Analysis .......................................................................18 Quantitative Survey Development .......................................................19 Attitudes toward alligators .............................................................19 Knowledge about alligators ...........................................................20 PCI2 ................................................................................................20 Demographics ................................................................................21 Quantitative Survey Administration ....................................................21 Quantitative Data Analysis ..................................................................21 Ordered Logistic Regression..........................................................22 PCI2 ................................................................................................22 Results ........................................................................................................23 Respondent Characteristics Influence Management Acceptability ........................................................................................23 vi RQ2: Hunter Acceptability of Spring Alligator Management Actions .................................................................................................24 Acceptability ..................................................................................24 PCI2 ................................................................................................24 RQ3: Spring Alligator Hunters’ Acceptance of Fall Hunting .............27 RQ4: Hunter Cognitions Influence Management Action Support .................................................................................................30 Discussion ..................................................................................................34 Conclusions ................................................................................................39 II. MODELING HUNTER OPPOSITION TO ALLIGATOR HUNTING SEASON TERMINATION ...................................................................................41 Abstract ......................................................................................................41 Introduction ................................................................................................43 Background ................................................................................................45 Alligators in the United States .............................................................45 Policy Termination...............................................................................46 Hypotheses .................................................................................................48 Hunter Attributes .................................................................................48 Hunting Motivations ............................................................................48 Hunter Beliefs ......................................................................................49 Management Preferences .....................................................................50 Hunting Activity ..................................................................................50 Theoretical Model Development .........................................................50 Methods......................................................................................................51 Study Area ...........................................................................................51 Study Design ........................................................................................52 Hunter Attributes ...........................................................................53 Hunting Motivations ......................................................................54 Management Preferences ...............................................................54 Hunter Beliefs ................................................................................55 Hunting Activity ............................................................................55 Hunter Recruitment ..............................................................................56 Survey Administration .........................................................................56 Analysis................................................................................................56 Likelihood to Oppose Termination ................................................56 Binary Logistic Regression ............................................................57 Nonresponse Bias Check .....................................................................58 Scale Reliability ...................................................................................59 Results ........................................................................................................60 vii Hunter Attributes .................................................................................60 Hunting Motivations ............................................................................60 Management Preferences .....................................................................61 Hunter Beliefs ......................................................................................62 Nuisance Beliefs ............................................................................62 Termination Beliefs
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