Comparing Shame and Embarrassment to Traditional Deterrents to Hunting Violations

Past research has shown that feelings of shame and embarrassment act as deterrents to criminal activity such as drunk driving. This research compares responses of 2 groups of hunters to questions about shame, embarrassment, the certainty of getting caught in a wildlife violation, and the impact of legal sanctions for wildlife violations. Oklahoma hunters who reported they would experience high levels of shame and embarrassment if they committed a hunting violation said they would be less likely to commit a hunting violation in the future (P < 0.01). There was no significant relationship between any of 5 traditional legal sanctions and hunters' likelihood of committing a future violation.