Pricing policies and antlerless elk hunting permits.

One of the effects of increasing emphasis on leisure time in the U.S. has been a growth in demand for hunting privileges. An example of such growth is the rapidly increasing demand for the opportunity to hunt elk in various western states (Potter 1982). From 1960-1979, the number of licensed elk hunters more than doubled in North America, while average elk hunter success steadily declined from 25% to 14% over the same period. Even though total elk harvests are increasing, elk populations are not growing at a rate anywhere near that of current demand growth. Thus, state fish and wildlife departments must utilize methods to allocate elk resources. Such allocation procedures include split seasons, waiting lines, drawings, and fee increases, each with distinct efficiency and equity implications (Meyer 1979; Peek, Pederson, and Thomas 1982). The problem of allocating Rocky Mountain antlerless elk hunting privileges in eastern Oregon is instructive in this regard. Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife controls the hunt of antlerless (cow and calf) elk by controlling the numbers of hunting tags annually issued for each designated geographic area. The numbers of tags issued are determined by estimating the quantity of hunters needed to achieve the target harvest level of antlerless elk in each area. For a one dollar processing fee, prospective hunters may indicate a first and a second choice hunting area from