Hunters' trade-off in valuation of different game animals in Sweden

Vehicle accidents and damage to farm and forest land by ungulates have been documented in several studies, which call for regulation of population size according to their damages. These species may also create value for hunters in terms of recreational and other values. However, in Sweden and many other countries hunters have access to multiple game species, which needs to be considered when comparing eventual costs and values of different game. In this study we estimated hunters' trade-offs in valuation of the four main game animals in Sweden, moose, roe deer, wild boar and small game, by regarding them as different attributes of hunting. To this end, a discrete choice experiment framework was used to elicit hunters' trade-offs between the different game animals. Estimates with a mixed logit model showed significant differences in valuations of the game animals. Average annual marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for hunting moose was SEK 1878/animal (SEK 8.44 = 1 USD in 2015), which was approximately four-fold and six-fold the corresponding WTP for roe deer and wild boar, respectively.