An economic model of deer hunting is presented with potential for explanation of hunter behavior and valuation of hunting experiences. Depletion, congestion, hunter skills and knowledge, game populations, success, and a number of other factors can all be discussed within the framework of the model. There are three key features of the approach: (1) Benefits from the hunting experience are separated from those attributable to the kill itself. (2) Benefits are derived from the individual hunter's standpoint and then aggregated to obtain values for wildlife areas. (3) A stochastic hunting model is used, treating hunting as a gamble. The model has several interesting serendipities, raises a number of research questions, and provides a framework for organizing and directing research efforts related to hunter behavior, hunting quality, and hunting values.
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