Hunter and Nonhunter Beliefs about Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin

• Published in: The Journal of wildlife management 2007-07, Vol.71 (5), p.1739-1744
• Main Authors: STAFFORD, NICOLE T, NEEDHAM, MARK D, VASKE, JERRY J, PETCHENIK, JORDAN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior; beliefs; Chronic wasting disease; Data collection; Deer; Deer hunting; Depopulation; Disease; Education; food contamination; food safety; game animals; Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management Articles; Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management s; Human subjects; hunters; Landowners; Management decisions; Moose; Moose hunting; Natural resources; nonhunters; Nonresidents; Odocoileus; Prion diseases; public opinion; Spongiform encephalopathies; sport hunting; Studies; surveys; trust; Venison; Wasting syndrome; wildlife diseases; Wildlife management
• ISSN: 0022-541X; 1937-2817
• DOI: 10.2193/2006-557

We examined beliefs of landowners who hunt and do not hunt regarding chronic wasting disease (CWD) and its management. We mailed surveys to a random sample of 973 Wisconsin, USA, landowners living in the CWD southwest disease eradication zone. Of 613 respondents, 360 (59%) were hunters and 253 (41%) were not hunters. We created multiple item indices to measure respondent beliefs about effects of CWD and its management. Hunters and nonhunters differed on 5 of 6 belief indices. Both groups were, on average, relatively neutral in their trust of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources but landowners who did not hunt reported slightly higher trust. Both groups were neutral or slightly agreed that CWD should be managed and they were concerned about deer (Odocoileus spp.) health and the safety of eating venison. Landowners who did not hunt were more likely than those who hunted to agree with these issues but effect sizes indicated these differences were minimal. Landowners who hunted were more concerned than nonhunters about effects of CWD on deer hunting. Cluster analyses indicated most nonhunting landowners were neutral or not concerned about CWD and its management, whereas most hunting landowners were concerned. Our results suggest that managers should use communication campaigns to increase awareness and mitigate concerns about CWD, increase trust and input related to the disease, and inform publics about CWD management strategies.