Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Where is the ABHuntLog logo in iHunter to sign up to participate?
A1. Make sure you have the latest version of iHunter installed on your phone and you are logged into your iHunter account (you will stay logged in even when iHunter is closed and re-opened, unless you log out). Follow the prompts shown below.
Q2. Who can participate in the ABHuntLog project?
A2. All resident hunters, citizens of the Métis Nation of Alberta, professional outfitters, and outdoor recreationists in Alberta over the age of 16 are eligible to participate. The only requirement to participate is you need to have purchased and installed iHunter on your mobile devise, have read and agree to the UofA ethics consent form, and have completed the introductory survey.
Q3. When should I start filling in surveys?
A3. You can start logging your trips and completing the survey any time after you have joined the ABHuntLog team and provided consent to use your data. We hope users will log scouting trips throughout the year and provide species observational data to the project. If enough data are received from hunters throughout the year, we will be able to expand our analysis of counts and sex ratios (e.g., moose bull:cow ratios) for not only during the hunting season, but also for the winter, spring, and summer months.
Q4. What if I didn't observe anything interesting or harvest anything on my trip? Should I still fill out a survey?
A4. Please do! We’ve made it easy—just click the STAR beside any species you were hoping to see (i.e., you were in good habitat for that species), even if you didn’t see any. This populates our database with a zero. Submitting your zeros for species that you were hoping/expecting to see on your trip may help biologists understand which habitats may be under-utilized by wildlife.
Q5. I have privacy concerns regarding my observations. How are my submissions being shared?
A5. Don’t worry, we understand how important it is to keep your hunting locations and observations private. As of 2023 you have the option to manually enter time and distance travelled in your primary WMU. If you allow tracking, the app will automatically collect information on the distance travelled and the duration of your trip. We do not ask you to mark the location of where you saw or harvested an animal. All the information you provide is at the WMU level. The information will be summarized across all participants at a (minimum) WMU level for reporting. Participants will be randomly assigned an anonymous ID number (we never see your name), and all data will be associated with that number. All data are stored on secure servers.
Q6. If I filled out the harvest questions in ABHuntLog, do I still need to submit my harvest data to the Government of Alberta (GOA) mandatory reporting?
A6. Yes! Your dashboard will help make mandatory reporting much easier (no remembering!), but it does not fulfill your mandatory reporting requirement with GOA.
Q7. I want to know more about the research being completed by ABHuntLog. Where can I get more information?
A7. We are more than happy to share additional information and ongoing results about this project. Alberta Conservation Association will post yearly project summary reports at this website and maps of data summarized by wildlife management unit. Should you have additional questions please feel free to contact ACA senior biologists: Sue Peters ([email protected]) or Paul Jones ([email protected]).
