What’s your game? Heterogeneity amongst New Zealand hunters

The introduction of the New Zealand Game Animal Council in 2014 heralds a new era for New Zealand big game management. Now that management of game animals to enhance benefits from sustained use is possible, it is important to understand who values game resources and the attributes that enhance benefits from their use. Choice experiments using a pivot design around actual travel distance identified salience of hunt-related attributes for recreational hunters of Himalayan tahr (Jemlahicus Hemitragus) and sika deer (Cervus Nippon). The choice experiments successfully used travel distance as the numeraire of value to overcome resistance to the commodification of hunting. Results show the high value of recreational hunting, and identify disparate preferences both within and between species. Understanding heterogeneity offers important insights into managing hunting experiences to enhance their value for recreational hunters.