Illuminatinganoverlooked hunting stakeholder group: Nonhunters and their interest in hunting

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Abstract
While the traditional sport hunter wildlife management constituency appears to be declining, little is known about another group of hunting stakeholders—nonhunters who know hunters, participate in hunting‐related activities, have positive beliefs about hunting, and perceive benefits from hunting. This study explored New York State nonhunters’ experiences with and perceptions of hunting, using interview and mailed questionnaire data collection techniques. Many nonhunters know hunters and participate in hunting‐related activities. Roughly one‐third of nonhunters had positive beliefs about the utility of hunting as a wildlife management tool, and over 10% received benefits from hunting. These variables were significantly related to participation in hunting‐related activities with hunters. The size of the core nonhunter stakeholder population is estimated to be roughly equal to the active hunter population. These results suggest implications for wildlife managers as well as potential problems with traditional recreation‐based research treatments of hunting.