Hunters' general disease risk sensitivity and behaviors associated with chronic wasting disease

Craig A. Miller, Lori B. Shelby

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article examines deer hunters' general disease risk sensitivity relative to specific behaviors and beliefs about chronic wasting disease (CWD). Data were obtained from the 2003-04 Illinois Hunter Harvest Survey (n = 1521). Cluster analysis of perceived risks from CWD, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (i.e., mad cow), Salmonella, Escheria coli (E. coli), West Nile Virus, and Lyme disease identified three hunter segments (i.e., no, slight, moderate risk). The risk sensitive (moderate) group (n = 281) reported the lowest hunting participation (64%), were the most likely to change their hunting behavior due to the presence of CWD (42%), and believed that CWD was a risk to humans (81%). General sensitivity to disease risks may result in lower or altered hunting participation. Measuring perceived risk based on multiple diseases may be useful for understanding how future disease outbreaks may impact hunting.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)133-141
Number of pages9
JournalHuman Dimensions of Wildlife
Volume14
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Behavior
  • Chronic wasting disease
  • Deer hunters
  • Illinois
  • Risk perceptions

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nature and Landscape Conservation
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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