Hunters and Non-hunters Chronic Wasting Disease Risk Perceptions over Time

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has had a negative impact on deer license demand in Wisconsin since it was first found in the state in 2002. Prior work evaluates the effect of CWD on hunting permit sales, but only in the period immediately after the disease was discovered. We use data on hunting permit sales, permit price, and other demand shifters to estimate a model of deer permit demand for the period 1966–2015. We use the estimated model to quantify the effect of CWD on (1) hunter demand for deer permits; (2) hunter surplus from hunting; and (3) lost hunting permit revenues. Hunter participation declined by 5.4% after CWD was detected in 2002. Hunter surplus decreased by $96 million over this period, while permit revenues declined by nearly $17 million. The effect of CWD was greater on demand for firearm permits than for archery permits. We also find that the effects of CWD diminish over time in absolute terms. This is because permit demand would have started to decline in 2008 even in the absence of CWD. This finding implies efforts to control CWD and efforts at hunter recruitment are economic complements and should be pursued jointly to maximize hunter welfare.

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Hunters' General Disease Risk Sensitivity and Behaviors Associated with Chronic Wasting Disease

Human Dimensions of Wildlife ◽

10.1080/10871200802716556 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 133-141 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Craig A. Miller ◽

Lori B. Shelby

Keyword(s):

Chronic Wasting Disease ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Risk Sensitivity ◽

Wasting Disease ◽

And Behaviors

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Chronic wasting disease risk analysis workshop: An integrative approach

Open-File Report ◽

10.3133/ofr20041418 ◽

2004 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shana Gillette ◽

Joshua Dein ◽

Mo Salman ◽

Bryan Richards ◽

Paulo Duarte

Keyword(s):

Risk Analysis ◽

Chronic Wasting Disease ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Integrative Approach ◽

Wasting Disease

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Stakeholder Perspectives on Chronic Wasting Disease Risk and Management on the Canadian Prairies

Human Dimensions of Wildlife ◽

10.1080/10871209.2015.1046095 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 408-424 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kari Amick ◽

Douglas Clark ◽

Ryan K. Brook

Keyword(s):

Chronic Wasting Disease ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Wasting Disease ◽

Canadian Prairies ◽

Stakeholder Perspectives

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Revisiting Hunter Perceptions toward Chronic Wasting Disease: Changes in Behavior over Time

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10020187 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 187

Author(s):

Angela M. Holland ◽

Jacob M. Haus ◽

T. Brian Eyler ◽

Mark D. Duda ◽

Jacob L. Bowman

Keyword(s):

Perceived Risk ◽

Chronic Wasting Disease ◽

Cervus Nippon ◽

Significant Decline ◽

Behavioral Changes ◽

Hunting Behavior ◽

Wasting Disease ◽

Harvest Rate ◽

Time Period ◽

Over Time

Hunter behavior varies in relation to perceived risk of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and changes in perceptions of CWD will lead to changes in behavior over time. During 2018, we surveyed deer (Odocoileus virginianus or Cervus nippon) hunters from Maryland, USA, regarding behavioral changes due to CWD. We matched 477 respondents to their harvest record and created two geographical groups based on harvest history in counties closest to disease presence. We compared the proportion of hunters who claimed to have changed their behavior in each group and estimated the effects of CWD on harvest rate for the 4 years immediately after the discovery of CWD and the following 4-year period. We found no difference between the groups in the proportion of hunters who changed their behavior due to CWD. We found a significant decline in harvest rate for hunters who claimed to change their behavior in the group closest to CWD presence during the period immediately after the discovery of CWD; however, these same hunters increased their harvest rates in the next time period to pre-CWD levels. Overall, we found that time alleviates some perceived risk of CWD and that this is reflected in hunting behavior.

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