WDFW - Private Land Hunter Access survey

INTERNET SURVEY - HUNTERS OPINIONS ON PRIVATE LAND HUNTER ACCESS

Your opinions on hunting and related subjects help us to make critical decisions about recreational hunting and management of the wildlife resources of the State of Washington. The results of this survey will be included with, and compared to, data collected by other means including other hunter opinion surveys, input from Advisory Councils, public input meetings, special studies and research findings. The combination of these data collection efforts will help us conclude a review of the hunter access programs currently sponsored by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Thank you for participating in this survey. It will take approximately ten minutes to complete the survey.

Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Wild I.D. # (required)

Explanatory Statement: Washington is the smallest of the western states but has a great diversity of habitats and wildlife. The land area totals 66,582 square miles with approximately 56% in private ownership, another 6% in Tribal Reservations, 9% in State/County ownership and 29% in Federal ownership. Not all public lands are open and available for hunter access. It is estimated that. approximately 42% of the private lands in Washington don’t allow hunter access or are not suitable for hunting. Over a million acres or about 2.5% of all private lands in Washington are taken up by cities and towns. Additional losses of wildlife habitat result from construction of transportation corridors, home building in rural landscapes, and high use outdoor recreational sites. There is little doubt, the amount of lands available for hunting is shrinking rapidly as human development encroaches the landscape.

The Department’s current private lands access programs (Feel Free to Hunt, Register to Hunt, and Hunt by Written Permission) relies largely on federal funds, which were recently cut. Additional Federal funding will expire in 2007. The program provides hunters with various hunting opportunities; however, there is a large demand by the hunters to have better and more diverse hunting opportunities on private lands.

According to recent hunter surveys, private land hunting opportunities are very important and hunters want WDFW to pursue additional access programs. One type of program that has proven successful in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado is one that pays private landowners for public (hunter) access and habitat improvements on their lands. There are many variations to the common theme of providing additional hunting opportunities through increased private lands access. In order to maintain current program levels and expand them, a funding mechanism must be found.

1. Do you agree or disagree that hunter access to private lands is an important issue in Washington state?

2. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to seek changes in landowner liability laws with regards to hunting in order to obtain access onto private property?

3. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to lease hunter access from landowners?

4. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to assist private landowners in controlling hunter access onto their property?

5. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to assist private landowners in management of roads on their lands as a way to obtain hunter access?

6. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to assist private landowners in clean up of litter and dumping as a way to obtain hunter access?

7. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to authorize special species hunting permits to qualified landowners as a landowner incentive to recover costs of providing hunter access?

8. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to authorize customized hunting seasons in addition to general seasons on their property as a landowner incentive to allow hunter access?

9. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to contract with private landowners to manage hunters on their lands?

10. Is it acceptable or unacceptable for WDFW to provide complimentary hunting license to landowners, meeting minimum criteria, as a way to obtain hunter access onto their property?

11. Would you be willing or unwilling to pay a $5.00 surcharge (increase) on your annual hunting license to have WDFW maintain and increase hunting access on private lands?

12. Would you be willing or unwilling to pay a private landowner directly for hunting access rather than have a surcharge on your license?

That’s it! Thank you very much.

13. Other comments: