HUNTER-FISHERMAN CHARACTERISTICS: FACTORS IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND POLICY DECISIONS by ROBERT S. BOND and JAMES C. WHITTAKER, respec- tively Associate Professor of Forestry Economics, University of Massachusetts Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Amherst, Mass.; and Assistant Professor, University of Maine School of Forest Resources, Orono, Maine. ABSTRACT. Research on the characteristics and motivations of hunters and fishermen is examined for factors important to resource managers and policy-makers. Characteristics related to the learning experience, time for participation, utilization and accessibility of the resource base, and the type of fish and game harvested are con- sidered. Motivational research, although in its infancy, suggests that participation in these sport activities has importance other than for only the taking of fish or game. In-depth motivation research is needed. URING THE PAST decade re- ones, usually showing some interesting D searchers associated with land and associations. Interesting to whom? As rec- water resources have focused atten- reation researchers-campers, hunters, fish- tion more and more on the so-called ermen-we have often considered this outdoor recreationist. Social scientists, espe- question. cially those with an undergraduate educa- In our association with the regional tech- tion in, or a casual acquaintance with, one nical committee that undertook a "Con- of these resources, have conducted research sumer Analysis of Forest-Oriented Outdoor to study participants in one of many activi- Recreation Activities in the Northeast," ties-camping, hiking, boating, skiing, hunt- (N.E.M. 35), we were called upon in the ing and fishing. The impetus for this work annual reports to indicate the usefulness of gained momentum with publication of the the findings. This is always a challenge! Outdoor Recreation Resource Review Most of us resorted to the rationale that the Commission's reports, some of which dealt information collected and presented about with participants in recreation in general the characteristics of hunters and fishermen and others with particular activities. is useful to managers and policy-makers. Many recreation-participant studies have We have never been asked to prove this described the characteristics of the user in contention - and would probably have a terms of socio-economic, demographic, and difficult time to do so. The most objective participation criteria. These criteria are proof derives from requests for publica- analyzed by correlating a varie tions. pendent factors against certain in Future managers and policy-makers will benefit by studies similar to those done by age (Nosh 1962): "A thousand case studies the N.E.M. 35 Committee because they . of adults with recreation skills indicate serve as benchmarks with which later skills were established before studies can be compared. The value of thethat age o 6 and fully 90 percent before the data-assimilating research is sometimes ques- age of 14." tioned because it lacks depth. On the other We found that the average hunter was hand, it is well to know the situations exist- 38 years old and the average fisherman 40. ing at various points in time and thereby to The average number of years that they be able to predict trends. had participated was 21 and 26 years re- It may be presumptuous of us-because spectively. This means that, on the average, we are not in the position of manager or hunters learned this sport at 17 and fisher- policy-maker, nor are we trained in re- men at 14. It should be pointed out that source professions dealing directly with hunting is precluded by law before a cer- wildlife or fish-to attempt an examination tain minimum age, which varies by state. of the utility of knowledge about charac- We found that 84 percent of the hunters teristics of hunters and fishermen as they and 93 percent of the fishermen partici- relate to management and planning. How- pated in these activities in their youth (16 ever, it may be helpful to those of you who years or younger). Hunters, on the average, are in this position to have our views on participated alone at the age of 16 years the manner by which we perceive how in- and fishermen at 13 years. formation from studies of hunter-fisherman These statistics seem to verify the early characteristics may be interpreted. learning experience contention. Admittedly, I The research on which much of this we have no knowledge about those people paper is based was done by an interdisci- who no longer hunt or fish but did so in plinary group from six Northeastern States their youth. To make these statistics rele- -New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Penn- vant to the manager and policy-maker we sylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia. need to consider other characteristics Economists with agricultural and forestry known about these sportsmen. backgrounds, a rural sociologist, and a wild- One of these factors is the source of life biologist comprised the committee. The learning. For both hunters and fishermen, diversity of outlook, aIthough a deterrent 70 percent were introduced to this activity to the development in one sense, proved by a parent or other relative. Asked if they valuable in the long run. Our views have took any children under 16 years of age been influenced by varied disciplines. with them to participate in these activities during 1965, 27 percent of the hunters said they did and so did 59 percent of the fisher- I CHARACTERISTICS men. Parents and relatives will undoubtedlvJ have an increasingly less important role in Consider some of the characteristics about introducing children to hunting and fishing which information has been gathered, and as they reside in urban areas where the what possible meaning they have to the resource base is not as easily accessible. policy-maker. The statistics we have are from the hunter-fisherman phase of N.E.M. Another characteristic needs considera- 35 (Bevins et al. 1968). Four general areas tion: the rurality of residence during child- of knowledge about hunters and fishermen hood. Seventy-two percent of the hunters are: the learning experience, time for par- and 68 percent of fishermen said they spent ticipation, utilization and accessibility of most of their childhood in a rural area. It is the resource base, and type of fish and difficult to define a rural area, and obvi- game harvested. ously there is some relativity involved in the individual's internretation. We can onlv assume that althouih rural ~assachuse& ~ Learning Experience and Maine, as extremes, are diffierent, they 1 A number of sociologists have shown each offered about the same opportuni that, if people participate in a recreational hunt and fish. Seventy-eight percent o7'" the activity, they learned to do it at a young Maine hunters spent their childhood in a rural area as compared with 67 percent of decisions relating to management and those in Massachusetts. For fishermen the policy-making. percentages were 72 and 62 respectively. Evidence for the apparent importance of Time for Participation a rural background in youth as a commit- When and how much time is devoted to ment to hunting and fishing can be ob- hunting and fishing by today's sportsman? served from A4aine and Massachusetts About three-quarters of our respondents findings. Different percentages of rural said that they would like to hunt or fish backgrounds were found for persons in more than they do, and that for hunters Maine who hunted only, 77 percent; fished (we did not ask fishermen) time was the only, 64 percent; and both hunted and most frequently mentioned constraint; 79 fished, 83 percent. In Massachusetts a percent so indicated. similar relationship held true: hunted only, Approximately one-third of the respond- 58 percent; fished only, 54 percent; and ents for each s ort worked more than a both hunted and fished, 69 percent. A 40-hour week. fhree-fifths had a Saturday- greater proportion of people who partici- Sunday days-off pattern, about one-sixth pate in both sports came from rural areas reporting only Sunday free during the nor- during childhood, thus indicating the mal work week. Therefore, slightly over greater influence of a rural background to three-fourths of the respondents had only the combination activity. weekends for these activities unless they The thing about rurality that is impor- lived close enough to the resource to enable tant is the number of people today who are them to do so before or after work. living in a rural situation. The statistics are It might be assumed that because week- roughly the inverse of what were found for ends are the predominant leisure time, an hunters and fishermen: today 70 percent of effort would be made by hunters to have the population is urban. Projections for Sunday hunting legalized. Maine nonresi- future populations are that the Nation as a dent sportsmen were asked if they favored whole will be 75 to 80 percent urban Sunday hunting; 44 percent did, 28 percent within the century. did not, and 28 percent did not answer. Of Obviously the learning experience in those not answering, 84 percent were fish- hunting and fishing is going to be consid- ermen only. Because Sunday hunting would erably different for much of today's youth facilitate participation by nonresidents, and those of the future than in the past. greater support could have been anticipated The opportunity, and thus the desire to for this question. participate, in such sporting activities will Three-fourths of the hunters and fisher- encompass a diminishing segment of the men took vacations. These varied in length, population. This is already evidenced in a third having 10 days or less and a third the declining rate of increase in license having 21 days or more.