Semester of Graduation

Fall 2021

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

School of Renewable Natural Resources

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Louisiana surveys waterfowl hunters every 5 years to assess harvest, harvest practices, demographics, and specific management objectives, as well as to research hypotheses derived from previous surveys of waterfowl hunters. In the 2020 survey, research hypotheses addressed hunter perceptions of changing waterfowl migration patterns, satisfaction, and relationships between perceptions and avidity with survey distribution waves and sample coverage. I surveyed a stratified census of 68,578 Louisiana waterfowl hunters by email following the 2019–2020 season, and asked 31 questions about waterfowl-hunting effort, success, satisfaction, regulatory alternatives, and demographics. I used generalized linear models to test hypotheses about hunters’ perception of waterfowl migration to Louisiana, satisfaction patterns (since 2005), associations of satisfaction, and locations hunted. I received 13,483 total responses and 8,218 usable responses with a qualified response rate of 12.0%. I compared qualified respondents to the overall population of HIP registrants (169,891), and found no significant differences for age-class (P = 0.99), geographic distribution (P = 0.92), and license type (P = 0.99). Model outcomes indicated that surveys should be distributed in multiple waves, as avidity (days hunted) decreased ordinally in later waves of distribution (P

Committee Chair

Laborde, Lucien P.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.5391

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