Fly today, hunt tomorrow. anything more than that with a helo just isn't hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Latham:
Fly today, hunt tomorrow. anything more than that with a helo just isn't hunting.

Why not?? It's the hunters preragative to do the 'right thing'!! Who would want the govt to tell them they couldn't fly and hunt on the same day... when it wasnt neccessary??

A hunter wouldn't need to be told by the government.

great to see it has made the news so hopefully it will get the coverage it deserves, lets nip it in the bud now we need the overseas hunters support in this

I'm just speaking for myself but I've never had a problem with scouting from an aircraft and hunting immediately thereafter. It doesn't upset me one whit. I learned a few years back that people tend to have different ideas of what constitutes hunting, and two distinct examples spring to mind:

1. I was talking to a particularlly caustic jackass who thought that hunting cape buffalo wasn't hunting. In his mind it's just shooting a big animal. (Hello? That big animal can kill you.) That same guy's idea of sporting hunting was (I kid you not) releasing pen-raised quail into a field and immediately hunting them down with bird dogs. Like that was somehow more sporting?!

2. Around here there are a lot of suburban deer. Some people don't consider hunting them to be hunting. Well I don't see why not: they're wild animals, for crying out loud.

Anyway, my point is that often different people's ideas of what constitutes hunting don't necessarily line up. That's just my two cents worth.

Wismon - i dont think many folk have a problem with using a helicopter to get up the mountain , or spot game animals . the issue here is the use of those choppers as shooting platforms after the game animal has been chased to exhuastion from the air , then using the chopper to shift the now dead animal to a nice place for trophy photos.

That isnt hunting , its airborne execution , and anyone who partakes of that and then goes home and admires their hunting "trophy" shot in that manner needs to look hard at their own morality.

Hey Muzza, You have put it so eloquently, what more can be said about this subject?

Lots more Steve , but it would just be regurgatating wots been said before... I s'pose I could improve my spelling , that may help .....

The temporary concessions issued by DoC have been modified to prohibit chasing, herding and holding animals, the helihunt operators claim they can not helihunt without herding and holding from the air, several refused to accept their draft concessions on friday.
The concessions must be completed and accepted by the 19th February for helihunt activity to be legal.
The prohibition of herding and holding is very helpfull. Helicopters are now GPS tracked and spider tracked.

NZPHGA, SCI, Game and Forest Foundation and NZDA are adamant there will be no herding or holding.
Spot and drop has been suggested and placed in the concessions but is unrealistic. This is a trophy hunting activity once you spot the animal/s from the air how do you figure out if it is trophy class without getting close and completely spooking the animal.
Once you have spotted the animal you cannot pursue it, the helicopter is being satellite tracked in realtime and it is easy to recognise a shift in helicopter behaviour from drop to pursue.
You are better off getting dropped on the ground and locating the animals on foot, rec hunters can live with that.
The dominant role of the helihunters in our back country in terms of impact on recreational hunting and ground hunting guides has been broken,
and we all still have the same access whether on foot or by helicopter.

The US wildlife service have agreed that they will prosecute anyone under the Lacey Act who imports trophies into the US taken in breach of New Zealand game laws.
Only a very foolish guide would risk his integrity or that of his client now.

It has been a very long job for us in New Zealand to pull this together, little steps. Thanks for the support from the members on here and the tolerance of the moderators.

For the record there are still 16 possible temporary concessions sought to operate till september to get the old client bookings out of the way.

Research into the trophy tahr herd has shown that in New Zealand there are only 256 trophy bulls over 300 mm in horn length available and helihunts sought to take 1214 bulls ? what were these guys thinking.

quote:

what were these guys thinking.

Dollars mate - lots and lots of easy dollars