Drivers of hunter compliance and satisfaction with mandatory harvest reporting

Hunter harvest data are important components of game species management and conservation, and natural resource agencies often use self-reporting mechanisms to collect harvest data. Despite the advantages of self-reporting systems, hunter noncompliance with mandatory reporting remains a challenge for managers. Our objective was to utilize the Theory of planned behavior (TPB) and concepts of organizational trust to understand factors influencing hunter compliance and satisfaction with mandatory harvest reporting. We distributed questionnaires through email channels and postcards mailed to resident deer hunters in Georgia, USA. Structural equation model results from the 1,712 survey responses suggest that TPB constructs (attitudes, perceived behavioral control, social norms), organizational trust, and satisfaction with hunting experience positively influenced satisfaction with mandatory reporting. In contrast, the number of years an individual has been hunting negatively influences satisfa..., , , # Drivers of Hunter Compliance and Satisfaction with Mandatory Harvest Reporting [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wm37pvmxx](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wm37pvmxx) ## Description of the data and file structure We conducted a quantitative, wed-based survey to assess perceptions of white-tailed deer management and harvest reporting from resident deer hunters in Georgia, USA. We distributed the survey to a proportionate random sample of 19,000 resident deer hunters. ### Files and variables #### File: Data.csv **Description:** This file contains responses from the 1,712 survey participants who provided valid responses to the survey. The variables in the dataset coincide with the questions on the survey in chronological order (Supplemental Material: Survey.pdf). Some respondents did not answer all questions on the survey. In these cases, missing responses are indicated by blanks in the dataset. We removed several indirect identifiers (i.e., residents’ demographics) of respondents per Dr...