Degree and range of specialization across related hunting activities

Recreation specialization was examined among a sample of Pennsylvania resident hunters who hunted in the 1992?1993 hunting season. Using Iterative Proportional Fitting to define hunting activity, hunters were assigned to one of seven hunting activities based on days of participation. A 12-page questionnaire was completed by 1,006 hunters (representing a 78% response rate). The dimensions used to define recreation specialization were participation, skill, lifestyle, and equipment. Levene's test for homogeneity and a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to determine differences in degree and range of specialization for hunters in the seven activities. Results indicated that both degree and range of specialization varied significantly across the different types of hunting activities, which supports Bryan's (1979) hypothesis that differences in degree and range of specialization can be found in specific types of recreation under a larger activity heading. A hierarchy of hunting subactivities by specialization is provided.