Canines as conservation tools
(Book - Regular Print)

Thesis,MSES,Green Mountain College,2009

Includes bibliographical references.

Waterfowl hunters are very supportive of conservation efforts to ensure the future of hunting in Vermont. Waterfowl hunting is a heritage sport, and each year in Vermont between 2,000 and 3,000 people participate in this outdoor activity. A heritage sport such as waterfowl hunting is a traditional sport that has withstood the test of time and has been handed down from generation to generation. One reason waterfowl hunting is such a popular heritage sport still today is the use of trained retrievers to recover waterfowl during a hunt. Many retrievers such as the Labrador Retriever were bred specifically to assist hunters in the retrieval of game during hunting expeditions. The goal of this project was to research whether or not trained retrievers aid hunters in reducing the number of lost waterfowl during game recovery. This research paper examined the use of trained retrievers as a conservation tool to increase the recovery rate of waterfowl shot, and reduce the number of birds that are wasted during hunting expeditions. Through the increased use of retrievers, conservation efforts to stabilize waterfowl populations may have some positive effects. Hunters may not need to shoot as many birds, if the recovery rates of birds shot are very high with the aid of retrievers. While there are seasonal bag limits and regulations governing every waterfowl season several birds are knocked down/wounded and humans cannot always recover the birds they shoot which is considered wasteful. Hunters are taught to abide by the hunting code of ethics to make every possible effort to recover a wounded animal. A canine's sense of smell, hearing and speed make them far more effective at finding the birds that are knocked down or wounded compared to humans. Bringing a trained retriever along during the waterfowl hunting season is one way to show game wardens, who continually patrol and check on waterfowl hunters during the season, that the hunter is making every possible effort to recover birds during a hunting expedition. The study was conducted through a survey questionnaire of 46 hunters who purchased waterfowl licenses in the state of Vermont. SPSS 14.1 was the analysis program used to translate the survey questionnaires into statistical data. During this research survey I found that canines are a viable conservation tool that should be utilized during the waterfowl hunting season.