A comparison of deer hunters with disabilities and nondisabled hunters in Alabama: motivations and satisfactions in deer hunting

Approximately 20% of the United States population suffers from some form of disability. In the United States, leisure activities such as hunting are becoming more accessible to persons with disabilities, though little research has been published on this topic. Research has been conducted in South Dakota to categorize deer (Odocoileus spp.) hunters based on their motivation for hunting and to collect information about hunter satisfaction. This information has proven valuable to the state management agency, facilitating changes in management that increased satisfaction of the majority of hunters. We conducted a study in Alabama, which included both hunters with disabilities and nondisabled hunters, to determine whether motivations and satisfactions differed between groups. Hunter groups displayed some statistical differences, but practical differences were not found. This suggested that management agencies need not differentiate between groups when making decisions related to the motivations and satisfactions of these constituents.