
HUNTER OPINION SURVEY 
RESTRICTIVE DUCK HUNTING REGULATIONS 
Data supplied by Robert G, Heath and M, Edwin Rosasco, 
“Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 
The restrictive duck hunting regulations 
enacted in the face of low duck populations 
during the 1961-62 hunting season, and es- 
pecially the 1962-63 waterfowl seasons have 
raised a number of important questions re- 
garding the opinions and reactions of hunters 
to various types of restrictions. Accordingly, 
the Bureau conducted a mail questionnaire 
survey immediately after the 1962 season de- 
signed to measure hunter opinion on the sub- 
ject of restrictive regulations. 
The primary reason for the survey is ex- 
plained tothehunter ona questionnaire mes- 
sage sheet as follows: ‘“*‘The problem: In 
years when ducks are scarce and hunting must 
be restricted, the Bureau wants to know how 
short a season and how small a daily bag 
limit the majority of hunters feelis practical 
before they would prefer a closed season.”’ 
The survey is also designed to learn if there 
are hunter preferences among different types 
of restrictions and the most important rea- 
sons why hunters active in the past failed to 
buy duck stamps in 1962. 
It is most important to note that the find- 
ings of the opinion survey are intended for 
use only as a guide in establishing hunting 
regulations after biological determinations 
have formulated how large a duck kill is 
permissible. They are not a substitute for 
biological considerations in any respect. 
Methods 
The Bureau wished to derive information 
that as far as possible would express the 
opinions of all potential duck hunters, and not 
merely the reduced portion active in 1961 or 
1962, Therefore, only persons active during 
the 1960 season were contacted, since more 
hunters were active that year than inany year 
since 1958. Questionnaire recipients were 
selected by systematically subsampling the 
names of all hunters contacted in the 1960 
waterfowl kill survey. (The 1958 mailing list 
of hunters, although available, was judgedtoo 
old to be useable,). 
The questionnaire first asked hunters which 
they would have preferred in 1962, the re- 
stricted duck hunting regulations that were 
enacted, or a closed season, It then asked 
in four independent but identically worded 
questions, how short a seasonthe hunter would 
accept before preferring a closed season, if 
given daily bag limits of 4, 3, 2, and 1 duck. 
Next, hunters were asked which type of 
hunting restriction, when necessary, they 
would prefer: a significant reduction in daily 
bag limit but no reduction in season length; a 
significant reduction in season length but no 
reduction in daily bag limit; or a moderate 
reduction in both daily bag limit and season 
length, The questionnaire asked ifthe hunter 
bought a duck stamp in 1961 and if he bought 
one in 1962, Finally, for hunters who did not 
buy a duck stamp in 1962, it listed the follow- 
ing seven possible reasons for failure to do 
so and asked them to identify the first and 
second most important reasons for their de- 
cisions: 
1, Bag limit so small that hunting not 
worthwhile. 
2. Season so short that hunting not worth- 
while, 
3, Predictions before season indicated few 
ducks, 
4, Too few ducks in hunting area during 
the open season, 
5. teu ene by poor hunting in 1960 or 
1961, 
6. Risk of accidental violationtoo great due 
to difficulty in identifying protected and 
restricted species of ducks in flight. 
7. Other reasons. (Please describe) 
Results 
A total of 2,785 useable questionnaire 
responses were derived from a total hunter 
contact of approximately 5,000 individuals, 
Useable returns, by flyways, are as follows: 
Pacific Flyway, 526; Central Flyway, 608; 
Mississippi Flyway, 1,203; and Atlantic Fly- 
way, 448, 
Findings, although presented for States as 
well as flyways, are intended to have preci- 
sion primarily at the flyway level, They 
should be viewed guardedly at the State level, 
due to small sample size. (This is especially 
