National Wildlife Refuge System Voluntary Lead-Free Pilot Program

(Rev. 10/2024) OMB Control No. 1090-0012

U.S. Department of the Interior Expires 02/27/2024

Hunter Participation / EXPERIENCE Survey

NWRS Voluntary Lead-Free Pilot Incentive Program

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Thank you for visiting [Insert Name] National Wildlife Refuge and taking time to participate in this study! We hope that you enjoyed your time at the refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting this survey to learn more about hunters and their experiences in order to improve hunting opportunities on the refuge. For this survey, we are interested in hearing about your experiences during the Fall 2024/ Winter 2025 hunting season.

1. [STATION CAN PICK-LIST SPECIES] During the 2024/2025 hunting season which species did you hunt on the refuge? Please select all species hunted, regardless of whether or not you harvested an animal. Note that the example species lists are not exhaustive and not all refuges allow hunting for all species listed. (Mark all that apply.)

   • Big game (deer, bear, moose, feral hog, etc.)

   • Small game (rabbit, squirrel, coyote, etc.)

   • Migratory birds / waterfowl (ducks, geese, dove etc.)

   • Upland game (pheasant, quail, grouse etc.)

   • Turkey

   • I did not hunt on the refuge during the 2024/2025 hunting season

2. What method(s) of take did you use? (Mark all that apply.)

• Rifle

• Archery

• Muzzleloader

• Shotgun

• Other (specify) _______________________

Please tell us a little more about your experience hunting on the refuge during this past season.

1. Overall, how satisfied were you with hunting on this refuge during this past season? (Circle one number.)

Extremely Dissatisfied	Moderately Dissatisfied	Slightly Dissatisfied	Neutral	Slightly Satisfied	Moderately Satisfied	Extremely Satisfied
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

2. Please rate your level of agreement with the following statements. (Circle one number for each statement.)

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Agree	Strongly Agree
This refuge is the only place available for me to hunt	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
I am likely to hunt this refuge again	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

3. Regardless of the species you pursue, which of the following are your motivations to hunt?. (Select all that apply.)

• Harvesting any animal

• Harvesting a trophy animal

• Experiencing the outdoors

• Spending time with friends and/or family

• Being a part of a family or community tradition

• Filling bag/tag limit

• Using my equipment

• Obtaining my own food

• Engaging in a challenging activity/testing my skills

• Supporting conservation

• Exploring new areas

• Scouting/learning animal behavior

• Relaxing, escaping

• Sharing game meat or a harvested meal with others

• Sharing my experience and accomplishments with others

• Mentoring or teaching others or my family how to hunt

• Other (Specify) ______________________________________________________________

We would like to learn about your experience selecting ammunition for your recent hunt on this refuge and your participation in the refuge’s lead-free ammunition incentive program.

1. What type of ammunition did you use during your hunt on this refuge?

(Mark all that apply.)

• Lead rifle bullets

• Lead-free rifle bullets (e.g., copper)

• Lead shotgun slugs

• Lead-free shotgun slugs (e.g., copper)

• Lead shotshells

• Lead-free shotshells (e.g., steel, bismuth)

• Lead muzzleloader bullets

• Lead-free muzzleloader bullets (e.g., copper)

• Other (Specify)_____________________________________________________________

• I’m not sure what type of ammunition I used

2. When you select ammunition for hunting, how important are the following factors?

(Please rank the factors below from most important (1) to least important (10))

NOTE: Online version could include drag and drop ranking function)

____ Made in USA

____ Price

____ Brand familiarity

____ Availability in my preferred caliber or gauge

____ Accuracy based on experience

____ Bullet design

____ Grain weight

____ Tradition (what I’ve always used)

____ Bullet material (e.g., lead, copper)

____ Other (Specify) ______________________________________________________________

3. Do any of the following present barriers to obtaining lead-free ammunition for hunting? (Mark all that apply.)

□ It is too difficult to find

□ It costs too much

□ Don’t see a reason to use it

□ It doesn’t perform as well as lead

□ It wasn’t available in my caliber or gauge

□ It limits my freedom of choice

□ Never really thought about it

□ Other (Specify)_____________________________________________________________________

4. Did you participate in the refuge’s lead-free ammunition incentive program? (NOTE: If yes, survey continues to items # 5-6, If no, survey skips to item #7)

• Yes

• No

5. Where did you obtain information about the refuge’s lead-free ammunition incentive program? (Mark all that apply.)

• Refuge website

• Other official permitting website

• From state information sources

• Refuge hunt brochure

• Refuge kiosk / signage

• From speaking with refuge staff

• From other hunters

• Couldn’t find this information

• Didn’t look for this information

• Other (Specify) __________________________________________________________________

6. How satisfied were you with the following aspects of participating in the refuge’s lead-free ammunition incentive program? (Circle one number for each.)

	Extremely Dissatisfied	Moderately Dissatisfied	Slightly Dissatisfied	Neutral	Slightly Satisfied	Moderately Satisfied	Extremely Satisfied
Availability of information about the incentive program	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Navigating the incentive program website	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Amount of money provided for the incentive	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Length of time it took to receive my incentive	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

7. In your opinion, how likely or unlikely are the following outcomes to occur if hunters voluntarily switch to lead-free ammunition? (Circle one number for each.)

	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither	Likely	Very Likely
Help protect wildlife from lead poisoning	1	2	3	4	5
Benefit the quality of the environment	1	2	3	4	5
Improve the image of hunters with the public	1	2	3	4	5
Avoid future government regulation on use of lead	1	2	3	4	5
Increase crippling and wounding loss	1	2	3	4	5
Decrease shooting accuracy	1	2	3	4	5
Drive up the price of lead ammunition	1	2	3	4	5
Decrease my hunting opportunity	1	2	3	4	5
Further the cause of gun control advocates	1	2	3	4	5

When it comes to getting information about the impacts of lead on wildlife health, how much trust, if any, do you put into the following sources? (Circle one number for each.)

	None at all	A little	A moderate amount	A lot	A great deal
University researchers	1	2	3	4	5
Ammunition manufacturers	1	2	3	4	5
State Wildlife Agencies	1	2	3	4	5
Federal Wildlife Agencies (Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife Service)	1	2	3	4	5
Hunting Conservation organizations (e.g., Back Country Hunters & Anglers, RMEF)	1	2	3	4	5

9. People can think of themselves in various ways. Please indicate the extent to which you consider yourself a/an… (Circle one number for each.)

	Not at all	Slightly	Moderately	Strongly	Very Strongly
Hunter	1	2	3	4	5
Wildlife watcher	1	2	3	4	5
Environmentalist	1	2	3	4	5
Conservationist	1	2	3	4	5
Gun Rights Supporter	1	2	3	4	5
Land Steward	1	2	3	4	5

10. On your future hunts, how likely are you to…

	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither	Likely	Very Likely	Not Sure
…use lead ammunition?	1	2	3	4	5	6
…use lead-free ammunition if an incentive program is available?	1	2	3	4	5	6
…use lead-free ammunition if an incentive program is not available?	1	2	3	4	5	6

11. Approximately how many years have you been participating in hunting? _________ years

12. Approximately how many days do you spend hunting during an average year? __________ days

** Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Your answers to these questions will help us to know more about who visits national wildlife refuges and allow us to compare who visits refuges with data collected by other known sources (for example, U.S. Census data). Answers will not be linked to any individual taking this survey. **

1.  Female

    Male

    Self-identify as _______________

    Prefer not to disclose

   With which gender do you identify?
   
   

2. In what year were you born? _______ (YYYY)

3. How many years of formal schooling have you had? (Circle one number.)

   1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20+
   (Elementary)					(Junior high or Middle school)			(High school)				(College or Technical school)				(Graduate or Professional school)

4. What race or ethnicity do you consider yourself? (Mark all that apply.)

    White	 American Indian or Alaska Native
    Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish	 Middle Eastern or North African
    Black or African American	 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
    Asian	 Some other race or ethnicity

5. Which of the following best describes your current employment situation? (Mark only one.)

    Employed full-time	 Unemployed	 Retired
    Employed part-time	 Homemaker/caregiver	 Disabled or unable to work
    Self-employed	 Student	 Other (specify) ______________________

6. What was your approximate household income from all sources (before taxes) last year? (Mark only one.)

 Less than $10,000	 $35,000 - $49,999	 $100,000 - $149,999
 $10,000 - $24,999	 $50,000 - $74,999	 $150,000 - $199,999
 $25,000 - $34,999	 $75,000 - $99,999	 $200,000 or more

Thank you for completing the survey.

Please use the space below to provide any additional comments you may have regarding your visit to this refuge and/or participation in the lead-free ammunition incentive program.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) to improve the Voluntary Lead-Free Pilot Program and our recreational hunting activities for visitors. Your response is voluntary and will not be shared publicly. We may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and you are not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. OMB has reviewed and approved this survey and assigned OMB Control Number 1090-0012.

Estimated Burden Statement: We estimate the survey will take you 15 minutes to complete, including time to read instructions, gather information, and complete and submit your response. You may submit comments on any aspect of this information collection to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS PRB (JAO/3W), Falls Church, VA 22041-3803, or via email at [email protected].

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