Declining hunter and trapper mail survey response rates between 1976 and 2020 in illinois

We examined mail survey response rates between 1976 and 2020. All 129 studies analyzed: (a) were conducted by the Illinois Natural History Survey, (b) sampled the same population (Illinois hunters/trappers), (c) followed identical administration protocols, and (d) had the same structure. The unit of analysis was study year. Across all surveys, the average response rate was 67% (SD=.13) and ranged from a high of 86% (1982) to a low of 36% (2018). Among the waterfowl hunters, response rates ranged from 83% (1981) to 36% (2018). The comparable ranges for upland game hunters were 86% (1982) to 41% (2020), and for trappers the range was 85% (1989) to 50% (2020). The bivariate correlation between study year and response rate was −.95 for waterfowl surveys, −.86 for upland game surveys, and −.84 for trapper surveys. Results highlighted dramatic declines in response rates for all three activities over time.