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Originally posted by eagle27:
Hi Javier
Great to hear you have journeyed to our country and had a good experience hunting here. It would be good to see some photos if you can post them.

Myself, two of my sons and two of their friends are flying in to the middle of our alps at the end of this week for 7 days tahr hunting on one of the DOC balloted hunting blocks. These are areas with no huts and realistically only accessible by helicopter which is allowed for only 8 weeks over May and June for those like myself lucky enough to win a block.

Not wishing to detract from your hunt or reignite too much of a robust debate but I have copied some information published by DOC in respect of the tahr balloted blocks, highlighting (in bold text) that despite winning a block where no other hunters are allowed during the May/June ballot season, other than the weekly ballot winners, aerial-assisted trophy hunting (spot, alight and shoot or likely sometimes spot and shoot from the chopper) is still permitted in these blocks for some of the time.

On a previous occasion when hunting in one of these blocks we have seen a helicopter flying over from the East Coast side of the Alps spending some time further down our block and then returning with a trophy bull hanging underneath the chopper. Obviously a visiting trophy hunter having a 'successful' hunt. I don't care too much for how that hunt took place but it would be nice if aerial assisted trophy hunting was NOT permitted during the balloted block weeks. There are plenty of other good tahr hunting areas on the East and West Coasts outside of the balloted areas that could be used for aerial assisted hunting during May and June.

Aerial access
In the 2018 ballot, recreational hunters will have some managed aerial access into the Hooker / Landsborough and Adams Wilderness Areas made available under the terms of the ‘Himalayan Tahr Control Plan’, approved by the Minister of Conservation in 1993. This reflects the identification in the plan of recreational tahr hunting as one of the primary controls for tahr in particular areas.
Managed aerial access is being provided to position recreational hunters, and will be for a limited period of May to June. This period was selected to limit effects on other wilderness users and to coincide with the tahr rut and the period when skins are at their best.
Recreational hunters are being given this access to help reduce tahr densities to the target levels set in the tahr control plan. While a hunter’s chief objective may be trophy bulls, the Department encourages all hunters to remove nannies and juveniles in the process, and to reduce group sizes to less than five animals.

Aerial operators
The right to fly recreational hunters into these sites will be issued to approved operators. Hunters are free to select a servicing operator from this list. Operators not appearing on the list may not be used.
Aerial-assisted trophy hunting using a helicopter will be permitted in the Wilderness Areas during part of the ballot period.
Apart from this, no helicopter wild-animal carcass or live recovery for deer, chamois or tahr is allowed during the ballot period in the Wilderness Areas. If you see any of this happening, record as much information as possible including helicopter registration (numbers and letters displayed on the machine) photos or video footage, and report this to the nearest DOC office as soon as possible so there can be an investigation.

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I wasn't really hunting, but did carry a lightweight rifle in case I saw red stag. Didn't fire a shot, but that hike made the trip. It was in December so weather was mild.