Thread: Alpine Helicopters culling tahr

Originally Posted by mikee

I would not know where to start assessing a potential trophy but then I am not trophy hunter. I have no issue with trophy hunting as if if that floats your boat go for it, its just not my thing.
Eating .............now thats my thing so I have no issue myself tipping over pretty much anything using any method (excepting hinds when they have fawns at foot) solely based on how much meat I can recover.
For example if I could either
a) shoot a hind/yearling a long way from my transport and only recover 1/2 the usable meat and leave the rest on the hill
or
b) a stag (a goodie or otherwise) even in velvet where the whole animal could be recovered and utilised with no waste
then for me its a no brainer the stag would be all over rover.
I have let animals go as I simply don't think I can recover enough meat from where they are at
Thermal, Spotlights etc all have their uses too.

Left over dog bones
Attachment 158242

For those that say its not sporting I would say a sport is a contest between 2 equal parties or teams with same equipment used by both sides.

Sacrilege mikee, you cut the meat off the neck instead of cutting bone in neck chops !!
As far as assessing and leaving potential trophy animals in velvet, there are so few animals that would make good trophies it should be easy to leave the good ones.
For spikers, they need to have good thick spikes with thickness carrying up the spike. If they have little brow tines as well all the better. A bit of width and a big pedicle is also an indication of potential. A good big well grown animal will on average have a better head than a smaller deer.
Two year and over stags need to have good lower tines and a good Trey. If there is a good Brow, Bey, Trey on each side with good length going into the tops, chances are that the stag will make a trophy. Spread and good Treys frame the head, narrow heads with missing or low Treys never look good.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Sacrilege mikee, you cut the meat off the neck instead of cutting bone in neck chops !!
As far as assessing and leaving potential trophy animals in velvet, there are so few animals that would make good trophies it should be easy to leave the good ones.
For spikers, they need to have good thick spikes with thickness carrying up the spike. If they have little brow tines as well all the better. A bit of width and a big pedicle is also an indication of potential. A good big well grown animal will on average have a better head than a smaller deer.
Two year and over stags need to have good lower tines and a good Trey. If there is a good Brow, Bey, Trey on each side with good length going into the tops, chances are that the stag will make a trophy. Spread and good Treys frame the head, narrow heads with missing or low Treys never look good.

"Sacrilege mikee"
I was about to call him a miserable prick leaving FA for Dog's
He's a big Lad and needs his tucker :-)

So if the chopper was only counting animals and they could see Ryan had made considerable effort to climb up into the area on foot....why cant they leave that area for Ryan to have a fair crack and move into other catchments?

Originally Posted by wsm junkie

So if the chopper was only counting animals and they could see Ryan had made considerable effort to climb up into the area on foot....why cant they leave that area for Ryan to have a fair crack and move into other catchments?

Exactly then there would be less to count

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Originally Posted by wsm junkie

So if the chopper was only counting animals and they could see Ryan had made considerable effort to climb up into the area on foot....why cant they leave that area for Ryan to have a fair crack and move into other catchments?

So let's say you have a contract that uses millions of dollars worth of equipment and crew. Would you move all your equipment because someone is recreationally enjoying the area you have had planned or been scheduled to work?

Should the job not get done because it is likely someone will be in that area everyday?

We have helicopters buzzing our Thar camps and areas nearly everyday helihunting, in a normal (non Covid) hunting season. Nothing you can do about it but learn to use the disturbance to your advantage.






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@R93 yup I understand that you're there to do a job, all I'm asking is there no leeway of maybe starting in the next catchment and doing that area on the return?
I dont know how these operations are conducted, thats why I asked the question.

Originally Posted by wsm junkie

@R93 yup I understand that you're there to do a job, all I'm asking is there no leeway of maybe starting in the next catchment and doing that area on the return?
I dont know how these operations are conducted, thats why I asked the question.

Wasn't having a go. Just pointing out the implications.
I doubt you could fly that area on any given flying day and not come across someone.




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the big unfortunate factor ive read in this is Our Friends, Other fellow Hunters, jumping on the Thermal bandwagons and going into the Public lands to use them to Gain the advantage.

its not about the Hunt for them.

lot of big Aussie stags coming out of the bush since the fires... no coincidences from the Thermal gang.

i like the Fact that you kiwi hunters albeit a small number, are actually discussing things and coming from different perspectives but slowly getting somewhere.....

aussie is still each for themselves and all for one.

yes,thermal gear on straight shooting rifle on cold morning could wreck havoc .... may as well have the animals flouro pink for all the show they have of staying concealed .... the mad days of helicopter venison recovery had them spotlighting from machines.....so its entirely feasable to combine thermal and machine...animals would have no show at all then....

Not with consumer grade gear.
Last guy I flew, his gear was worth $90,000.
That would be prohibitive to commercial recovery. He was contracted to help mop up the last of the deer on an off shore island and said that was hard going even on hourly rate.

SEARCH N DESTROY...on taxpayers tab...... there is video on net of guys in ???texus??? shooting pigs from chopper using it.

Out in pasture?