I think the experience thing needs further reading...from the study:
Our prediction that success rates would be higher for more experienced hunters was partially supported. Although this covariate did not enter either of our final models predicting hunter success, it occurred in the second-best rifle elk model and ranked third of the 6 model covariates in summed LOOcv weights (Table
4).
Successful rifle elk hunters had approximately 5 years more experience than did unsuccessful, but values for this metric ranged widely. Years of experience for rifle deer hunters was essentially equal across hunt outcomes, and successful archery hunters had slightly less experience than unsuccessful. Prior published literature relating hunter success to experience reveals similarly contradictory findings, with success positively (Stankey et al.
1973) or not (Boulanger et al.
2006, Lebel et al.
2012) related to experience. Experience was somewhat correlated with age (
r = 0.59), and
the increased age of more experienced hunters could negate benefits of experience if older hunters were less able to traverse rugged terrain or hunt long days.