Comparing a Convenience Sample Against a Random Sample of Duck Hunters

State wildlife agencies frequently host public meetings to gather feedback from stakeholders. We investigated differences between duck hunters attending public open houses and duck hunters statewide regarding changes in the regulatory framework for duck hunting seasons in Illinois. We administered two separate surveys to investigate potential differences between attendees at the open houses and a random sample of waterfowl hunters in Illinois. Open-house participants hunted significantly more days than mail-back participants and harvested more mallards than mail-back participants. Additionally, open-house participants hunted significantly more counties than mail-survey participants and had been hunting for more years. It is important that state wildlife agency managers understand participants in public meetings may not represent the general population, and interpreting input received from these forums should be used with caution.