NZ is a strange country. The conservationists want to kill all the animals by dropping poison from the sky and the hunters argue for more restrictions.
Please note that this activity is currently illegal. Thats despite the fact thats it's common.
One point I would like to raise is isn't this going to devalue trophies taken from NZ?
e.g. You come to NZ and hunt the Kiwi way. On return to the states you show everyone your new 14 inch Tahr horns. The first question everyone has was what's it like to shoot out of a helicopter?
Also for those that don't see the harm in it please understand that this is being done on public land.
Imagine it happening in the states. Say your a keen Elk hunter who every year hunts the same bit of public land. You draw an Elk tag for this season and on opening day head to your spot. You spend the day trying to get close to the bull you know is in the area (because you have spent time and energy scouting the area on foot before the hunting season started).
There is a loud roar as a helicopter flys overhead, circles the valley, then hovers over the thicket that YOUR bull is hiding in. The copter chases it out of cover then chases the poor animal around for a while. The copter lands, a rotund overseas hunter with a shiny rifle and a full camo outfit gets out, shoot the bull, takes a photo, hooks the bull up to the helicopter and flys off. Next week you see the trophy Elk tack in the SCI magazine with a beaming overseas hunter holding it.
How would you feel? This is our reality.
Please bear in mind that local foot hunters can't fly where ever and whenever they like on public land like heli hunters can. We have designated flight paths, landing spots, limited numbers of landings, restricted seasons etc.
We are being discriminated against in out own country. The really sad thing is that we are doing it to ourselves.
Like I said in one of my earlier posts I would have a real problem resisting the urge to put a few bullet holes in that chopper. Maybe send a few at the "hunter" as well.
