Economic Assessment of Conservation Reserve Program Lands for Hunting

Roger Smith
123 Main Street
South Dakota
Dear South Dakota Waterfowl Hunter:
I am writing to ask for your help in a study of waterfowl hunters in South Dakota. The general purpose of the study
is to learn more about waterfowl hunting patterns so we can provide specific information to wildlife managers and
landowners to improve hunting opportunities and the quality of hunting in the state of South Dakota. The study is
being supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, who has asked us here at Colorado
State University to help conduct the survey. This survey effort is separate from other surveys conducted by the
South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, & Parks (ex. harvest surveys). We would greatly appreciate you filling
this survey out even if you have filled out a harvest report for the season. Answering the survey will only take a
few minutes, but it has the potential to improve your hunting experience.
Your responses are important to us whether this is the first time you bought a hunting license or the twentieth time.
For our sample to represent hunters in your state, it is important that we hear from all different types of hunters,
including you (even if there is a more active waterfowl hunter in your household). The survey is voluntary, and the
results of this survey will be held strictly confidential.
When you have completed the survey please mail it back to us in the enclosed postage paid stamped return
envelope. If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact me by calling 970-491-7307 or
emailing me at John.Loomis@colostate.edu
Thank you for helping us with this important study and we look forward to receiving your completed survey.
Sincerely,

Dr. John Loomis, Project Manager
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
This voluntary survey contains information collections that are covered by the Office of Management and Budget clearance
number 0560-XXXX, which expires XX/XX/XXXX. The burden to the public for these voluntary information collections is
estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering the data needed, and
completing and submitting the information collection. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of
these information collections, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Skip Hyberg, Stop 0508, 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250, or by email to skip.hyberg@wdc.usda.gov.

OMB No. 0560-XXXX
Approval Expires: XX/XX/XXXX

WATERFOWL HUNTING IN SOUTH DAKOTA
A survey of individuals who hunted waterfowl in
South Dakota in the 2014/2015 season

A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency,
being carried out by Colorado State University. This survey is conducted under
authorities provided by Food Security Act of 1985 (Pub. L. 99–198), as amended.
Under Title 7 of the U.S. Code and CIPSEA (Public Law 107-347), facts about your
operation are kept confidential and used only for statistical purposes. Your help
on this study is greatly appreciated!
Please return your completed questionnaire in the self-addressed pre-paid
envelope included. Thanks!
PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT
This voluntary survey contains information collections that are covered by the Office of Management and Budget clearance
number 0560-XXXX, which expires XX/XX/XXXX. The burden to the public for these voluntary information collections is
estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering the data needed, and
completing and submitting the information collection. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of
these information collections, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Skip Hyberg, Stop 0508, 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250, or by email to skip.hyberg@wdc.usda.gov.
Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970-491-7307
John.Loomis@colostate.edu
Cover Illustration: Tom Kelly, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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I. YOUR 2014/2015 WATERFOWL HUNTING SEASON IN SD
You have been contacted because you purchased a waterfowl hunting license in 2013. The information you provide
will help the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, & Parks, farmers/ranchers as well as U.S. Department of
Agriculture Farm Service agency to improve hunting opportunities for you.
1. Did you hunt waterfowl during the 2014/2015 hunting season in South Dakota? Circle one:
Yes (please continue with the survey)
No

(please return the uncompleted survey in the postage paid envelope. Returning the envelope provides
essential information even if you did not hunt)

When we ask about your South Dakota Hunting Season in the following questions we mean just your waterfowl
hunting activity in early, regular and late seasons (ducks, geese, and other migratory waterfowl) combined during
the 2014/2015 season.
When we talk about a Hunting Trip, we mean a trip taken for the primary purpose of hunting waterfowl.
2. How many waterfowl hunting trips did you make during this 2014/2015 Hunting Season?
______ # of Trips
3. In total, about how many days of waterfowl hunting did you take this Hunting Season?
______# of Days
4. During the hunting season what percent of your time waterfowl hunting was spent on:
Private Lands (including Walk-In Areas *) ______% Public Lands ____% Right of Ways____% = 100%
*Walk-In Areas are privately owned acres with public hunting access.

5. If you did NOT hunt waterfowl on Private Lands go to II. YOUR WATERFOWL HUNTING EXPERIENCE
on page 2.
IF you DID hunt waterfowl on Private Lands please tell us about the type of lands you hunted. This will help
farmers, ranchers, other landowners and SD Game, Fish & Parks better manage for waterfowl.
5a. Percent of your time this hunting season spent waterfowl hunting on each of the following land cover types:
Cropland ____% (Type(s)________________) Grassland_____ % Wetland_____% Other_____% = 100%
5b. Percent of your time this season spent waterfowl hunting on private land enrolled in the state Walk-In Areas
Program? _____%

2

6. Did you hunt waterfowl on lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)* lands during the
2014/2015 waterfowl hunting season? (check one) ____Yes ____No ____Unsure
*CRP land typically resemble tracts of perennial grasses and/or wooded shelter belts occasionally with wetlands intermixed

If No or Unsure please go to Question #7.
If Yes,
6a. What percent of your time spent waterfowl hunting this season was spent:
Directly on lands enrolled in CRP _____% Lands adjacent to CRP _____%
7. Is the availability of CRP lands an important factor in your decision of where to hunt waterfowl? Circle one:
Not at all
Important

Slightly
Important

Important

Very
Important

Extremely
Important

8. Is the availability of CRP lands an important factor in the quality of waterfowl hunting in the county you hunt
most often? Circle one:
Not at all
Important

Slightly
Important

Important

Very
Important

Extremely
Important

II. YOUR WATERFOWL HUNTING EXPERIENCE
Please tell us what factors influence your decisions on how often you hunt waterfowl.

Please circle one number for each item

Would the following factors increase the amount
of waterfowl hunting you do in a season?
No
Change

Not
Likely

Likely

Very
Likely

1. More free time

1

2

3

4

2. Higher waterfowl populations/success rates

1

2

3

4

3. More areas to hunt & greater access

1

2

3

4

4. Less hunters & fewer crowds

1

2

3

4

5. Lower cost

1

2

3

4

6. Longer hunting seasons

1

2

3

4

7. Other reason (Please list)____________

1

2

3

4

3

PLEASE USE MAP FOR FOLLOWING QUESTIONS REGARDING HUNTING LOCATION.

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III.

YOUR TYPICAL WATERFOWL HUNTING TRIP IN SOUTH DAKOTA

A typical hunting trip is a trip to go waterfowl hunting where you go most often.
1. In which county did you hunt most frequently during the 2014/2015 season? (See map)
County Name_________________
In answering these next few questions, please answer with waterfowl hunting trips to this county in mind.
2. How many trips did you take to this county to hunt waterfowl? ______ # of trips
3. About how many days did you spend waterfowl hunting on a typical trip? ______# of days per trip
4. Roughly how many of each major category of waterfowl did you harvest throughout the course of the 2014/2015
waterfowl hunting season in this county?
# of Ducks _______

# of Geese ______

# Other Waterfowl _______

5. What is your one-way travel time from your home on a typical hunting trip?

______ # of hours

6. What is your one-way travel distance from your home on a typical hunting trip?

______ # of miles

7. On a typical trip to this county, how many hunters were in your party? _______ # of hunters.
The number of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program has been declining in South Dakota since
2007. CRP declined by nearly 500,000 from 2007 to 2012; a 28 percent decline. Additional CRP acres are set to
expire in the next few years, and if not re-enrolled, could be converted back to crop production.
8. If CRP acres were to decline by an additional 50% in the county you hunt most frequently, would you expect the
number of waterfowl hunting trips you take over the course of the season to this county to change in some way?
__No Change in Trips
__Yes, Fewer Trips--- _____ # of fewer waterfowl hunting trips each season
__ Yes, More Trips-- _____ # of additional waterfowl hunting trips each season

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IV. SEASONAL WATERFOWL HUNTING EXPENDITURES IN SOUTH DAKOTA
To understand the economic impact that hunting has on the state, it is important we have an idea of what you spent
on waterfowl hunting during the 2014/2015 hunting season in the state of South Dakota ONLY.
Please estimate the expenditures you made for only for yourself, not for others.
$ Spent in the
County Where
you Hunted Most
Frequently
1.

Gasoline/travel costs

2.

Restaurants/Bars/Taverns

3.

Grocery stores/liquor stores

4.

Rental Car

5.

Lodging

6.

Access/leasing fees

7.

Guns purchased for waterfowl hunting

8.

Ammunition

9.

Hunting License & “Duck Stamp”

$ Spent in
Rest of State
of South
Dakota

10. Taxidermy
11. Repairs to equipment
12. Dog gear/vet care specific to waterfowl hunting
13. Special clothing and gear used for waterfowl hunting
14. Non-clothing waterfowl hunting gear (decoys, blinds, calls, etc.)
15. Other? Please List:
_______________________________________________

16. Were there any other items purchased out of state specifically for hunting waterfowl in North Dakota?
(such as catalog, internet, out of state travel en route, etc.)
Yes $______ (Please list item___________________________________________
Yes $______ (Please list item____________________________________________
Yes $______ (Please list item____________________________________________
No

V.
VI.

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VII. DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Please tell us a little something about yourself. These last few questions will help us in evaluating how well our
sample represents hunters in the state. Your answers will be kept strictly confidential and will only be used for
the analysis of this study. Statistics will only be reported as an average of overall responses, and you will not
be identified in any way.
1. Are you?

□

□

Male

Female

2. In what year were you born?
3. Are you employed?

□ Yes

______

(Go to #3a.) □ No (Skip to #3d.)

□ Full-time □ Part-time

3a.Do you work part time or full time?

□ Yes

3b. Do you take time off from work to participate in hunting?

□ No

3c. How many weeks of paid vacation do you receive each year? # _____ of weeks (Go to #4.)
3d. Are you retired?

□ Yes

□ No

4. What is the zip code in which you live? _____________ County Name _______________
5. Are you a member of a hunting or sportsman's organization?
6. Are you a member at a Private Hunting Club?

□ Yes

□ Yes
□ No
□ No

6a. If you belong to a hunting club(s) or sportsman’s organization(s) what is the sum of your annual dues?
$_____________ Annually
7. Your highest level of formal education completed? (Please circle one)
High School
Or Less

Associates
Degree

College (B.S./B.A)
or Technical School

Graduate or
Professional School

8. Was your own income from all sources (before taxes) last year?

□
□
□

less than $19,999
$40,000-$59,999
$100,000-$149,999

□
□
□

$20,000-$29,999
$60,000-$79,999
$150,000-$299,999

□
□
□

$30,000-$39,999
$80,000-$99,999
more than $300,000

Thank you for completing the survey!
If you have any comments please write them on the back of the survey.
Please return in the postage paid return envelope we provided.

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COMMENTS?

Please feel free to write any comments you have about wildlife management in ND. When
you are finished, please place the survey in the stamped return envelope and mail it back to
us.

ID-SD-WF#

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