A classification scheme to better understand satisfaction of Black Hills deer hunters: The role of harvest success

Abstract

Abstract This research applies the multiple satisfactions concept in segmenting hunters to gain a better understanding of the relationship between harvest success (harvesting a doe or a buck) and satisfaction. South Dakota Black Hills deer hunters were segmented into seven types (nature, social, excitement, meat, trophy, solitude, and exercise) based on their main reason for liking to hunt deer in the Black Hills. Exercise hunters were dropped from further analyses due to small segment size. Next, the simple relationship between harvest success and satisfaction was explored for each hunter type. Harvest success proved to have a relationship to satisfaction that differed for the different types of hunters. This analysis was followed by an exploration of the linear relationship of harvest success and satisfaction with seven other variables to determine the best predictors of satisfaction for each of the hunter types. Hunters' subjective evaluations of the number of deer seen, number of bucks seen, and buck quality had a higher correlation with satisfaction than actual harvest success.