Online petition STOP guided helicopter-hunting in NZ

Hi all

DOC (the New Zealand Department of Conservation) is going to make guided helicopter hunting a legal activity on public lands come September. The writing is on the wall 3 operators have already been granted an interim decision to carry out this activity until heli-hunting permits become available in September.

The petition below may achieve nothing, but at least in 5 years time when our public land tahr and chamois herds have no trophy animals left and our pristine and peaceful backcountry is jammed full of helicopters you will be able to say I tried to stop this!

Please take 1 minute of your time click on the link below and sign this petition, it is simple and easy.

Online petition - Stop guided helicopter-hunting in New Zealand

You can add further comments to the petition if you wish

Please forward this link to everyone on your mailing list. This petition has only been up 24 hrs and already we have 305 signatures, please do your bit to help this snowball.


Regards and thankyou

Chris McCarthy
 
Is the shot taken from the helicopter or is it just to get in and out of the bush?

Please put up a link to this practice.

Dave
 
is this about freedom to roam or freedom to hunt???????????
as what difference should a copter make :confused:
if all the hunting was regulated, then laws would apply and be reconised
or am i missing the point here
ATB
stone
 
I heard and thought that any fair chase hunting on the species mentioned the clients are dropped by helicopter on the tops and left to hunt for the day. If thats the case I see no problem.

However if they advocate shooting from a helicopter thats a different matter and should be banned.

Admin would like to see a bit more info on this please.
 
DOCs definintion of heli-hunting


“This activity involves the conveyance of a client (and guide) in search of a trophy animal. The helicopter positions the client on the ground and the client shoots the trophy from the ground, or the client shoots the trophy from the helicopter and the helicopter then conveys the client, guide and trophy home.” “Wild Animal Recovery Operations framework 15-4-09.”

What this definition really means:

1. Searching for a game animal from the helicopter and chasing it until it is physically exhausted then landing at a random site client and guide disembark to shoot the game animal and retrieve it.

2. Searching for a game animal from the helicopter. Once an animal is located a random landing is made and client and guide get into position for a shot. The helicopter is then used to herd the game animal back toward the client and guide; the animal is shot and the helicopter lands a second time to retrieve the animal client and guide.

3. Searching for a game animal from the helicopter and shooting a game animal directly from a helicopter. The helicopter then lands at a random site to retrieve the animal.

My personnel opinion is that point 3 will not be allowed. Points 1 and 2 are known as “spot and drop” and are most likely to be legalised.

Hope that clears up the queries
 
I would not support activities 1-3, odds heavily in favour of "hunter".

I have no objection to a hunters and guides being ferried into an area by helicopter into an area and being left there to hunt down unspotted game rather than walking into the area, a bit like driving to your shooting area and then starting from there. I was recently on a weeks trip where two 20 minute helicopter flights on the way in (4 people with equipment for a weeks stay) and two on the way out , saved us two days walking in and two days walking out. It lets the older and less hardy hunt the bush!

Regards

Bob
 
Bob

I have no objection to a hunters and guides being ferried into an area by helicopter into an area and being left there to hunt down unspotted game rather than walking into the area, a bit like driving to your shooting area and then starting from there

That is how a lot of us do hunt here usually we stay fro around a week to justify the $$$ of the heli flight.

Heli-hunts all involve spotting from the air its all about making as much money as possible, the quicker the guide can get the job done the better.

I have personelly shot tahr sulking in soft country that have had their feet worn almost completely off from being chased by a helicopter through bluff and rock country, not very nice.
 
HI Eth.

I agree but I suppose that any of the options are better than 1080 poisoning. I however would not be very happy if I was hunting in an area and a chopper cane in and shot the beasts I was hunting. If it does become law I hope that it will be a condition of the permission that the body of the beast will be retrieved along with the trophy. This might go some way to regulating excessive or irresponsible "hunting".

Bob
 
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