The Wildlife Management Planning Game: Instructions to Participants

During the spring of 1971, a project was undertaken with the objective of constructing a unique simulation game that would be helpful in improving wildlife management planning. The game would be used primarily for inservice training of state game agency personnel and as a teaching aid in university courses. In addition, it could be used to familiarize those not acquainted with wildlife management planning with the significant decision variables of the system. Through the game, these people could become better acquainted with wildlife management planning and be able to understand and appreciate some of the unique problems involved. The Wildlife Management Planning Game involves the planning processes of the wildlife management agency of an eastern state. The participant is placed in the position of a planner for a mountainous region. His primary responsibilities are scheduling management activities and setting hunting regulations. A five-year operating plan is formulated and then implemented on an annual basis. Each year, reports are issued that reflect public reaction to the planner's policies and provide information about man-days of hunting, population levels, estimates of legal and illegal harvests, and budget constraints for the following year. The planner is allowed to modify the operating plan after examination of the annual report if he feels changes are necessary or desirable. This process provides "on-the-job” learning experience by allowing the participant to see the results of his decisions at different points in time and, hopefully, of profiting from his mistakes.