MADISON — Wisconsin waterfowl hunters can learn more about the results of a national survey on waterfowl hunting at the Wisconsin Waterfowl Hunters Conference March 3-4 in Stevens Point.
Presentation and discussion of the survey results will be led by Tom Hauge, director of the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Wildlife Management, and Kent Van Horn, DNR waterfowl specialist. Hauge is a member of the National Flyway Council that planned and directed the study, Van Horn helped design survey questions.
“Initial national survey results were released a couple of weeks ago,” said VanHorn, “but we will have additional detailed information specific to Wisconsin to share. Wisconsin was a major sponsor of the national effort but also was one of handful of states that were ‘oversampled’ giving us more statistically accurate results that we can rely on with greater confidence.”
Survey results showed most Wisconsin duck hunters were satisfied with the duck hunting season length, timing and bag limits in the state from 2000 to 2004, with 64 percent of respondents saying the Wisconsin season length was about right, 72 percent of respondents saying the bag limit was about right and 73 percent of hunters indicating they were satisfied with the timing of the season over the past five years, Van Horn said.
Results of both the national and Wisconsin surveys are available online at www.ducksurvey.com.
Hauge and VanHorn will both be available during the conference for interpretation of results and to answer questions.
“This should be a great opportunity for waterfowl hunters to learn more about the hunter trends and opinions affecting their sport,” Van Horn said.
More information about the Wisconsin Waterfowl Hunter’s Conference can be found on the Wisconsin Waterfowl Hunters Association Web site at http://www.wisducks.org/WWHC.htm. The deadline for advanced mail-in registration for the conference has closed, but people may register for the conference at the door.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kent Van Horn - 266-8841