THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF LOTTERY-RATIONED RECREATIONAL HUNTING

Lottery-rationed permit systems are used to allocate hunting opportuni ties where demand for permits exceeds the ability of the animal popula tions to sustain hunting harvest levels. Attempts to estimate the valu es of lottery-rationed hunting use a zonal travel cost model where app lications per capita formed the dependent variable and expected travel costs represent the price variable. This paper reexamines this analys is using a discrete choice travel cost model which incorporates the ex pectation of receiving a permit. This model is developed for lottery-r ationed antelope hunting in Alberta. Choice in the lottery-rationed hu nting context involves selecting one site from a set defined through m anagement regulations. The discrete choice travel cost model is propos ed as superior to the early models because it better represents this b ehavioral process.