TY - JOUR
T1 - Non-resident college student hunting license regulations in the United States
AU - Karlen, Jonathan G.
AU - Metcalf, Elizabeth Covelli
AU - Millspaugh, Joshua J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Wildlife Society.
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - A decades-long decline in hunting participation jeopardizes state wildlife agency funding amid growing conservation and management challenges. College students are being recognized by states and non-governmental organizations as an important population for hunter recruitment and retention, fueling a proliferation of learn-to-hunt programs on college campuses. Nearly 3,000,000 students attend college in a state where they are not a resident and may face constraints to hunting. We analyzed hunting license residency statutes in each state to determine whether non-resident college students were addressed in statutes or policies, catalog statutory provisions that may exclude populations of students from hunting, and document how students' residency status affects the price of a deer and small game license. Nationwide, 29 states have statutes allowing non-resident college students to hunt at a resident rate. Among these states, we identified a patchwork of statutory requirements for non-resident students to be eligible for resident-rate licenses, including waiting periods, age restrictions, credit restrictions, and unclear or onerous purchasing procedures. Non-resident college students fell into a gray area of licensing policy in the 21 states without statutes addressing this group. In these states, students often needed to pay non-resident hunting license rates. Hunting licenses were substantially more expensive for non-resident college students in states without statutes addressing students, and license sales data from Montana, USA, indicated that high license prices are a constraint for student hunters. With college students becoming a focal point for hunter recruitment efforts, we identify statutory constraints to recruiting and retaining hunters on college campuses and help improve the effectiveness of learn-to-hunt programs on college campuses.
AB - A decades-long decline in hunting participation jeopardizes state wildlife agency funding amid growing conservation and management challenges. College students are being recognized by states and non-governmental organizations as an important population for hunter recruitment and retention, fueling a proliferation of learn-to-hunt programs on college campuses. Nearly 3,000,000 students attend college in a state where they are not a resident and may face constraints to hunting. We analyzed hunting license residency statutes in each state to determine whether non-resident college students were addressed in statutes or policies, catalog statutory provisions that may exclude populations of students from hunting, and document how students' residency status affects the price of a deer and small game license. Nationwide, 29 states have statutes allowing non-resident college students to hunt at a resident rate. Among these states, we identified a patchwork of statutory requirements for non-resident students to be eligible for resident-rate licenses, including waiting periods, age restrictions, credit restrictions, and unclear or onerous purchasing procedures. Non-resident college students fell into a gray area of licensing policy in the 21 states without statutes addressing this group. In these states, students often needed to pay non-resident hunting license rates. Hunting licenses were substantially more expensive for non-resident college students in states without statutes addressing students, and license sales data from Montana, USA, indicated that high license prices are a constraint for student hunters. With college students becoming a focal point for hunter recruitment efforts, we identify statutory constraints to recruiting and retaining hunters on college campuses and help improve the effectiveness of learn-to-hunt programs on college campuses.
KW - R3
KW - college student hunting
KW - college students
KW - hunter recruitment
KW - hunting
KW - hunting constraints
KW - hunting licenses
KW - university hunting programs
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133727431&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jwmg.22279
DO - 10.1002/jwmg.22279
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85133727431
SN - 0022-541X
VL - 86
JO - Journal of Wildlife Management
JF - Journal of Wildlife Management
IS - 7
M1 - e22279
ER -