Gary E. Spencer

Regulatory Response to Deer Hunting with Dogs in Eastern Texas

We reevaluated the effects of hunting deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with dogs in 10 east Texas counties 5 years after the initial investigation in 1984. We mailed standardized questionnaires to rural boxholders, licensed hunters, and forest industry landowners. The numbers of landowners and hunters opposed to deer hunting using dogs increased (P < 0.05) from 1984 to 1989. However, there was no (P > 0.05) shift in hunter classification between years. The area available for hunting deer with dogs by landowner permission declined 69% and only 5% of the available deer range in the 10 dog...