A simulation-based evaluation of internet and phone hunter harvest survey methods

Wildlife agencies are becoming increasingly interested in adopting internet-based hunter harvest surveys to inform hunting regulations, though the efficacy of these surveys relative to their costs amidst technological advancements is uncertain. Our simulation of various survey methods builds off previous efforts to include cost analyses for both internet and phone-based approaches based on big game harvest surveys conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. We discovered that a follow-up survey, conducted following either a simple random sample or a census, effectively minimized nonresponse bias. We recommend combining internet collection with these survey strategies for surveying larger hunter populations of 50,000 or greater. This study improves our understanding of trade-offs within accuracy and cost of internet-based big game harvest surveys compared to phone survey methods, providing insights for their use in wildlife management.