Citation

Schwabe KA, Schuhmann PW. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 2002; 30(2): 609-615.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Wildlife Society)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

With the annual number of deer (Odocoileus spp.)-vehicle collisions (DVCs) occurring in the United States estimated to be 700,000 and increasing, benefits exist from reducing DVCs, including fewer deer fatalities. We illustrate that, depending on the approach used to represent deer value, the annual losses associated with the deer-fatality component of DVCs in the United States can vary from $23 million to nearly $1 billion. This variation is a result of different approaches in calculating the value of deer to hunters summarized in the literature. In literature related to DVCs, estimates of the value of a deer range from $671 to $1,468, whereas values estimated using nonmarket valuation techniques range from $35 to $209. We argue that these bodies of literature report fundamentally different measures. Furthermore, we suggest that the appropriate measure to value losses to hunters from deer fatalities due to DVCs is consumer surplus or net willingness to pay, a measure found in the environmental economics literature.