Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Heli-Hunting Petition

Hi guys,

I hope this is a suitable place to get as many people on board as possible..

I've been a member of this site since about 2006 and I have a lot of respect for many of your opinions when it comes to game management.

Being from NZ, we tend to have a very un-regulated management system (i.e. hunting all year round, no bag limits etc) and this is partly due to our wild game species being "introduced animals" and therefore classified as "pests" according to our authorities. Obviously we recreational hunters don't considered them to be pests as we contribute millions of dollars per year into the economy for hunting related activities... and would rather them be managed as "resources", but we're a wee way away from achieving that yet.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to get some of you on board in a petition against legalising heli-hunting in NZ. Which has just recently been legalised (March 2009) under the existing wild animal control operation (WARO) permits.

I don't want to bog you down too much with the detail, but essentially the term "heli-hunting" is where someone (i.e. a pay ing client) can fly around in a helicopter accompanied by a hunting guide; spotting, herding, and then shooting trophy animals on public estate land (i.e. where all NZ'ers and overseas visitors / tourists acces) from a low flying helicopter.

Which in my personal and professional opinion is just insane.

Anyway, the petition (link below) may achieve nothing, but at least in 5 years time when our public land tahr, chamois, red deer, sika deer, and unique whitetail deer herds have considerably reduced trophy quality, and our pristine and peaceful backcountry is jammed full of noisey helicopters that affect everyones amenity values, you (and I) will be able to say we tried to stop this! Lets not let the minority ruin it for the majority!!!

Just think, if you were planning a trip to NZ for a hunt on public land which many people do, how would heli-hunting affect your decision to come to NZ??

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

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-guided-helicopter-hunting.html

You can add further comments to the petition if you wish - its important to express your views on this outragous matter. Particularly as you guys tend to have more structured opinions towards game management.

Please forward this link to everyone on your mailing list that shares an interest in NZ. This petition only went up on Monday April 28th and already it has grown remarkably fast, illustrating the opposition and passion that recreational users have towards preventing this sort of activity from taking place on public land administered by DOC.

Please do your bit to help snowball this petition all the way to the politicians desk.

To learn more about heli-hunting here are the following links from discussions with Department of Conservation Ministers, and letters to the public address the heli-hunting issue.

http://www.box.net/shared/j3qeefb0z7

http://www.box.net/shared/h7jpxro7x3

http://www.box.net/shared/d24dixndb5

http://www.box.net/shared/y1tx97mxyu

http://www.box.net/shared/609p3cbkk9

Thanks for your time and support on this significant issue for NZ outdoorsmen!!

Cheers
Jamie Carle

p.s. a handful of stags taken by a buddy and I in April this year during the rutt off public land - the proper way - by foot. Over the 14 days hunting we (my buddy and I) covered 177km on foot and I lost 9kgs while my buddy lost 11kgs of weight.












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How can we let heli-hunting affect such a prestine and amazingly valuable public resource??

You have some amazingly beautiful country there, of which you should be quite proud.

I suspect US sportsmen signing your petition will carry little weight, but I hope that enough NZ sportsmen step up to the plate to put an end to this crazy idea.

Daveman

US hunters make up the majority of touristic hunters that come to New Zealand. Any input from the main target market for heli-hunting that the practice is not in fact generally acceptable by recreational hunters from overseas would be of enormous help. In fact - the idea that this practice might put more ethically minded hunters off the idea of spending their tourist dollars in NZ carries enormous weight. Your support is needed!!!

Signed the petition and as always hope that the blind policy makers will take note but I doubt it unless EVERY right minded hunter gets on board and makes enough noise in the right places.

Von Gruff.

Good luck in your endeavors to stop heli-hunting.
My question is how do you get the meat out from way back in where you seem to be?

Stan in SC

This a question that is often asked and it normally comes from the perspective of the excellent game management regimes in place within the States. It is a different situation in New Zealand in regards to utilization of meat from game animals. There is no legal requirement to take any meat from animals as they are classified as pretty much 'pests' by law. It is up to the individual to decide when where and how much meat will be taken. For example - if a party of three was deerstalking and one fellow shot two deer in the first day more than likely hunting would cease as that would be a load for three to carry out. If a chopper has been used for transport (not as a shooting or herding platform) more meat would of course be able to be butchered and taken out at the end of the trip. However during a backpacking trophy hunt on foot perhaps only the backsteaks and the head will be taken because of weight issues. The focus in NZ deerstalking culture is on the individual not the state to make the call about what is ethical/moral concerning the utilization of game animals once shot.

It must be remembered that all game animals in New Zealand have been introduced by man and as such are not native species and are viewed differently not only under legislation but also culturally/socially than in the US. There is very little/no game management in NZ and an unique environmental and social history behind the introduction and recreational, commercial and environmental hunting of game animals.

Signed....

I understand what you are saying but bearing in mind that the animals are all introduced,if you shoot just for the killing and take only the choicest parts what happens to the rest(majority) of the animal?Are there predators who will benefit from the waste?
You reply was very clear and I understand what you are saying about the ethics/morality being strictly up to the individual and I agree with that philosophy.I am just mainly curious as to what predators or carrion eaters you have there.
One of my dream hunts would be New Zealand but I'm sure that'll never happen.

Stan in SC

Hi Stan,

We have no large predators or carrion eaters apart from some small hawk etc that eat roadkill etc. Before the introduction of game animals and other species NZ had no terrestrial mammals apart from some very small bats and seals on the coast. Wildlife consisted almost entirely of birds and invertebrate species which have taken a pounding since the introduction of mammals. The only predators that have been released are small animals - stoats, ferrets, rats and hedgehogs etc. Some, such as stoats and ferrets were introduced in an effort to control other introductions such as rabbits. Man is the main population control for game animals. When left unchecked their numbers get out of control. With red deer in the early/mid 20th century approx two million + have now been killed since helicopter control was started in the early 1960's as the environment was getting completely overpopulated - bad for the environment bad for the deer and bad for recreational hunting. The majority of these animals killed were then exported as wild venison for the European market. Game animal populations are now much smaller and good heads and trophies quite obtainable for hunters on public land. However DOC still see game animals as pests to be eradicated where possible hence the present opportunity for guides to offer 'heli hunting' from choppers.

As for a dream trip down here - get yourselves to the airport and the rest should not be a problem. NZ's love showing their country off - no need to pay for guide if you are keen.

Loosecat, you seem to have deviated slightly off the topic. While I agree that ethics come down to the individual hunter, and that our wild animals are introduced, and classified as "pests" - it still doesn't make it acceptable to allow heli-hunting.

Population control via WARO or culling are very different issues.

I'm always slow to sign petitions when I don't have a good handle on the subject. Exotic species are usually managed differently than natives. I doubt that I would "hunt" from an aircraft, but.... I'm thinking that if NZ feels it appropriate to use aircraft, then who am I to argue?
Many US citizens think shooting predators from aircraft is an unacceptable way to harvest animals, as they sometimes do in Alaska. Most Alaskans and their wildlife managers feel it is acceptable, and I accept their learned opinions. I'm not sure why NZ's situation is much different. Critters is critters! Sorry, but I'll leave this to the New Zealanders. Local management is usually best.

Rgr that Mountainman - I did not imply that it is acceptable. In my experience it is always helpful to have some general contextual background to any issue.

Having just completed some doctoral research on tourism hunting in New Zealand - which included talking to touristic hunters who have actually undertaken heli-hunting - I can state that one thing that was consistent with many of these hunters; a lack of understanding about the issues and conditions on the ground in New Zealand with regards to the way that game animals are viewed and subsequently treated. The acceptance of hunting tourism operators skewed version of 'how hunting is in NZ' by clients from overseas is a major contributing factor to why we are in this pickle now.