Descriptive Analysis of Hunting Trends in Alberta

Alberta, like other jurisdictions in North America, has experienced a decline in hunting participation. In Alberta this decline has been occurring since the early 1980s. Studies examining why hunting has declined in North America have cited social, socialpsychological, institutional, and environmental factors as playing key roles. A study was undertaken in 1997 to examine the factors influencing hunting participation in Alberta. A questionnaire was sent by mail to 1000 residents who had purchased a wildlife certificate between 1991 and 1996. The 758 respondents were classified as occasional or committed hunters. Occasional hunters (11.2% of the sample) had not hunted at least 1 year from 1991 to 1996 or did not intend to hunt in 1997. Committed hunters (88.8%) had hunted every year since 1991 and intended to hunt in 1997. Socialization factors during initiation into hunting were not associated with hunting involvement. The proportions of occasional hunters living in urban areas, having a university education, and having household incomes of at least $70 000 were greater than the corresponding proportions of committed hunters. Achievement-oriented reasons for hunting such as getting a supply of meat were less important for occasional hunters than for committed hunters. The most important reasons for not hunting were not enough time, cost of licenses, and complicated hunting regulations.