Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin: Hunter Behavior, Perceived Risk, and Agency Trust

Abstract

License sales for the 2002 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season declined approximately 11% following the discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state. This article examines the extent to which CWD influenced 2001 Wisconsin deer hunters who did not participate in the 2002 season. The article also compares 2002 hunters against those who dropped out in 2002 relative to their perceptions of risks associated with CWD and their trust in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Data were obtained from a survey of 2001 resident Wisconsin deer hunters (n = 1,373, response rate = 67%). A cluster analysis of 14 possible reasons for not hunting indicated that about half (estimate = 52% ± 5%) of the 2001 Wisconsin hunters that did not participate in the 2002 season did not hunt because of Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 16:13 04 February 2015 194 Jerry J. Vaske et al. CWD (e.g., not enough time, conflicting responsibilities). Individuals who dropped out for non-CWD reasons gave responses on perceived CWD risk and trust in WDNR that were statistically equivalent to those of 2002 gun hunters. Non-hunters who did not participate due to CWD were less likely to believe the information provided by the WDNR and were less trusting of this agency compared to those who hunted. These findings reinforce the role of social trust in fostering a positive relationship with an agency's stakeholders. CWD. The remaining non-hunters dropped out of gun deer hunting for a variety of reasons unrelated to

Examining the role of Web site information in facilitating different citizen–government relationships: A case study of state Chronic Wasting Disease Web sites

“…But data do show differences; for example, because it could not sample as many deer, Utah provided less information about the location of diseased animals compared to other states. Findings correlate with hunter surveys which show greater percentage of deer hunters in Utah stated they did not have enough information about where CWD was found in the state (Needham et al, 2004(Needham et al, , 2005Vaske et al, 2004). But hunters may not be the only stakeholder group needing more core information-not all states provided customized information for meat processors and landfill owners on Web sites.…”

“…Our finding corresponds with hunter survey data showing that 62 percent of Utah deer hunters disagree that they have benough informationQ about what the state agency is doing about CWD (Needham et al, 2004(Needham et al, , 2005Vaske et al, 2004).…”

“…As noted in Table 1, none of the sites contained online surveys that actively solicited public input. But each of the states was involved in the mail-based surveys of hunters (Needham et al, 2004(Needham et al, , 2005Vaske et al, 2004). Only Wisconsin had published the results of the mail-based surveys, arguably providing citizens with a better understanding of the breadth of hunter opinion.…”

“…This historical animosity may taint CWD information. For example, hunter surveys show that a significant minority of hunters in some states believe that agency CWD information is less than bsomewhat believableQ (Needham, Vaske & Manfredo, 2004Vaske, Timmons, Beaman & Petchenik, 2004). Further, the 5 See www.cwd-info.org for a current map of disease locations.…”

“…By providing these references, the agency arguably facilitated citizens' ability to obtain, read, and formulate their own conclusions about these studies. Our analysis corresponds with survey data showing that more hunters in Wisconsin and Colorado agree that they have enough information on what the agency is doing about CWD (Needham et al, 2004(Needham et al, , 2005Vaske et al, 2004).…”