The Animal Welfare Challenge to Hunting At Cape Cod National Seashore: Social Psychology and Resource Management Walter F. Kuentzel Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont

Pro-Hunting/Anti-Hunting Controversy

What’s All the Fuss? 1961 Enabling Legislation Permitted Hunting Not Many Hunters (~2000) Perhaps Low Profile Poor Habitat

The Legal Challenge Fund for Animals Fund for Animals, Humane Society of US, Area Residents Stopped the Pheasant Hunt Conditions Have Changed Ordered an EIS - All Hunting Programs

How Does Social Psychology Help? Attitude Theory Social Cognition –Social Identity Theory

Attitudes, Behavior, and the “Educate-the-Public” Myth

White Pine

Birch

Educate the Public? Attitude Structure Attitude Strength Salience Polarization

Polling Culture? Justify Decisions –Opposition/Support –Avoid Lawsuits –Social Acceptability Participatory Democracy – Identify Stakeholders – Facilitate Discourse – Consensus Building

Recreation Conflict Goal Interference Activity Style Resource Specificity Mode of Experience Tolerance for Lifestyle Diversity Social Values Conflict Face-to-Face contact not necessary for perceived conflict

How do we know when people are different? and How do we know when those differences matter? Social Identity Theory 1) Positive In-Group; Negative Out-Group Attributions 2) Variation in Willingness to Attribute Differences 3) Self-Identity and Group Membership

Hunting Attitudes Group Identification Onsite Conflict Hunter Survey –Field –License –Volunteer Resident Survey –6 Cape Towns –Seashore Property

Mailed Questionnaire August – Sept., Contact Protocol Hunter – 60.4% (n=413) Resident – 57.9% (n=754)

Pro-Hunting/Anti-Hunting Scale 8 Pro-Hunting Statements – 8 Anti-Hunting Statements (Adapted from Wood, 1997) Examples: Pro-Hunting Hunting is an important wildlife management tool Hunting should be supported, because it is an important tradition in American culture Examples: Anti-Hunting Hunting encourages a culture of violence in today’s society Hunting is cruel, because hunters wound and cripple too many animals Additive Index from -32 to +32

Attitudes About Hunting

Social Identity Scale 5 Semantic Differential Scales Quiet-Loud Safe-Unsafe Humble-Arrogant Courteous-Discourteous Friendly-Unfriendly Sum the Differences – Average – 0 to 96

Importance of Group Differences

Onsite Conflict Hunters: I have been harassed by people who were not hunting at the Seashore. Residents: I have felt unsafe seeing people hunting in the Seashore. I have felt unsafe hearing shots from people hunting at the Seashore. 4-Point Scale: 1)No, not at all 2)No, not much 3)Yes, somewhat 4)Yes, definitely

Hunter Harassment How were you harassed? (n=323, 46.5%) 94 – Verbal abuse 15 – Noise (car horns, whistles, loud music 42 – Field protests 5 – Obscene gestures 6 – Called the authorities 7 – other (frightening dogs, scratching vehicles

Hunter Harassment What did you do about it? 44 – Ignored them, went about my business 61 – Moved away, continued my hunt 14 – Talked with the people 7 – Contacted Seashore officials 14 – Left the Seashore 6 - Other

Hunter Arguments What was the argument about? (n=47, 13.4%) 16 – Anti-hunting 2 – Pheasants 7 – Hunters and safety 2 – Conflicting activities 15 – Miscellaneous hunting issues 5 – Not specified

Residents Who Felt Unsafe Around Hunters What did you do about it? (n=232, 33.6%) 60 – I did nothing 16 – Contacted Seashore officials 14 – Wore blaze orange 49 – Moved away from hunters 56 – Left the Seashore 5 – Asked hunters to move 23 - Other

Residents Who Felt Unsafe Hearing Shots What did you do about it? (n=236, 35.6%) 78 – I did nothing 12 – Contacted Seashore officials 7 – Wore blaze orange 42 – Moved away from hunters 54 – Left the Seashore 5 – Asked hunter to move 28 - Other

Onsite Conflict Model Pro-Hunting/Anti-Hunting (Attitudes) Group Formation (Social Identity) Onsite Conflict

Siege Mentality vs. the Dirty Bastard Spiral Hunters - Siege Mentality Social Identity – Harassment – Polarization

Importance of Group Differences

Siege Mentality vs. the Dirty Bastard Spiral Residents – Dirty Bastard Spiral Anti-Hunting Attitudes – Fear – Social Identity

Attitudes About Hunting

Norms and Onsite Conflict

Norms and Cape Cod Hunting Very Acceptable Very Unacceptable

Norms and Cape Cod Hunting Very Acceptable Very Unacceptable

Predicting Behavior?