| n order to better assess the value of the big game resource, an attempt was made in this thesis to obtain the most reasonable estimates possible of the demand for and net economic value of Oregon big game to hunters. Also, an attempt was made to predict the changes in net economic benefits associated with changes in the number of deer and elk harvested. The data used in this study were obtained from a random sample of Oregon big game hunters during the fall of 1968.;Twenty distinct hunting areas (destinations) were constructed from the total land area of the Central and Northeast Oregon, where each hunting area consisted of one or more game management units. Based upon the traditional single site types of travel cost models, the consumers' surplus for each of the 20 hunting areas was regressed as a function of deer and elk harvested on each of the 20 hunting areas. Given the assumptions of linear homogeneity (which could not be rejected statistically) and of travel time cost equal to one-fourth the wage rate, values of about ;More recently, the Regional Travel Cost Model (RTCM) has been recommended for estimating the values of marginal changes in quality by including quality and substitution sites directly in the demand equation. Based upon the estimated RTCM, average and marginal values were computed for a representative hunting area of Northeast Oregon. By assuming increases of 100 units in the harvested deer equivalent measure of quality, an average marginal value of ;Several versions of the travel cost method (TCM) were used in this study. With the TCM, travel costs are used as a proxy for price, and the demand function is estimated from the respondents' travel costs and trip quantities. Then, willingness of the respondent to pay is deduced from the respondents' estimated demand for the recreational activity. The concept of consumers' surplus was used in conjunction with the travel cost based demand functions, to estimate the net economic value of Oregon big game. Estimated net economic value for the Northeast and Central regions of Oregon in 1968 dollars was approximately... |
