EVALUATING ONTARIO MOOSE HARVESTS USING A POSTCARD QUESTIONNAIRE

Abstract

Introduction of a province-wide regulated moose harvest strategy in 1983 prompted field managers to develop a speedy and reliable method of harvest assessment. A self-addressed District postcard questionnaire was introduced to estimate licence utilization, adult bull and cow harvest, and hunter success. Correction factors were used to reduce the potential of problem hunter non-response bias, however, some inconsistency was noted. Average response rates in the North Central Region varied from 84.2% in 1984 and 1986 with prepaid return postage and a follow-up mailing to non-respondents, to 64.0% in 1985 when both features were deleted from the survey. Harvest estimates generated from the District Mail Survey varied considerably from those of the centrally conducted Provincial Mail Survey. The former is generally felt to provide more accurate results because of its timing and higher sampling rate. Average unit costs of $2.31 per returned questionnaire is considered justified.