Contemporary conservationists are frequently faced with the problem of issuing special permits when there are more applicants than there are permits available. The objectives of this project were to develop a computer technique for handling the selection of eligible applicants and to test its use and effectiveness in a fully automated computer system for handling drawings for special permits. Computer programs were designed to conduct the actual selection and to analyze results. A random interval sampling technique was used for selecting eligible applicants. The system was put through an actual test involving over 16,000 deer permit applicants competing for their choice of one of 35 hunt dates on 11 different wildlife management areas. Tests indicated that the fully automated system yielded comparable results with manual systems at reduced costs and time, and provided the applicant with a greater variety of choices of hunt dates and areas. Methods, associated problems, advantages, and disadvantages are discussed.
