Thread: Maybe need to start shooting everything we see in some areas

Counted 40 one morning last week when packrafting down a West Coast river.

Yep, numbers are high alright. While I’d love to agree that recreational hunters should be able to have an impact, there’s just too much back country that is bloody hard to get to. Why hike for days into an area when you can easily shoot a couple of meat animals in the front country? As @outdoorlad says, we need to get creative with access.

While we work on things like access, we'd have a better supporting argument if we shot more hinds (or nannies) in the places we CAN access easily or are going already.

Originally Posted by gimp

While we work on things like access, we'd have a better supporting argument if we shot more hinds (or nannies) in the places we CAN access easily or are going already.

The thermal crew are doing a stellar job of reducing numbers in all the easy access country up here.
If you have to carry the animal a few hours tho it's a different story.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

The thermal crew are doing a stellar job of reducing numbers in all the easy access country up here.
If you have to carry the animal a few hours tho it's a different story.

Is it legal to use a thermal spotter on public land?

Have the 'Murupara Moonbeam' guys upgraded?

Originally Posted by caberslash

Is it legal to use a thermal spotter on public land?

Have the 'Murupara Moonbeam' guys upgraded?

It's a grey area.....permit states thermal and NV not allowed to be used for hunting so definitely not on the rifle but could be argued the hand held is ok?
That doesn't bother lots of guys tho....who's going to see them?

Originally Posted by gimp

While we work on things like access, we'd have a better supporting argument if we shot more hinds (or nannies) in the places we CAN access easily or are going already.

I agree Gimp, I have a dumb question but my question is how do we get solid data that other agencies can see and recognise our contribution. Kill returns aren’t required on 99 percent of hunting permits. Eg how can we as a hunting community provide clear numbers on amount of animals removed from an area? F and B have data to support their argument, how do we get data to show that hunters are committing to removing more hinds.

At the moment we can say this stuff until we’re blue in the face but there seems to be a lack of trust between all parties involved. The likes of f and b can only take it at face value that rec hunters are committing to remove more hinds as theres no requirement for us to take down data a lot of the time.

Plus theres also a lack of trust in DOC etc from some hunters and probably for valid reasons so it’s tough to get everyone on the same page?

Just spitballing here.

Is it possible for NZDA to compile a database of the number of deer taken by recreational hunters reporting their harvest directly. A liaison between NZDA and Forest and Bird could then establish "problem areas" that could be targeted either by DOC, recreational hunters or cullers depending on the locality of said areas.

I’m going in again next week for 5 nights and fully intend on going for maximum tail count

There are thousands of hunters like myself, eager to help farmers bring down the animal numbers if we can only get access. Maybe I’m to thick to work it out but why is there private land with exploding numbers then? That’s a genuine question, by the way.

Originally Posted by thatguy

There are thousands of hunters like myself, eager to help farmers bring down the animal numbers if we can only get access. Maybe I’m to thick to work it out but why is there private land with exploding numbers then? That’s a genuine question, by the way.

Public land in alot of areas are bursting at the seams also

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Originally Posted by thatguy

There are thousands of hunters like myself, eager to help farmers bring down the animal numbers if we can only get access. Maybe I’m to thick to work it out but why is there private land with exploding numbers then? That’s a genuine question, by the way.

I think this will answer the question.I have a hunting block that borders doc land and tbh I want numbers high. I let a few bods on to hunt it but don't want it getting shot up so much as to it affects my hunting.I reckon everyone that has a hunting block has the same outlook, productive farms could be different though but almost every farm has serious family member or friend that will hunt it and want to keep numbers good.

Originally Posted by Yesmate

I think this will answer the question.I have a hunting block that borders doc land and tbh I want numbers high. I let a few bods on to hunt it but don't want it getting shot up so much as to it affects my hunting.I reckon everyone that has a hunting block has the same outlook, productive farms could be different though but almost every farm has serious family member or friend that will hunt it and want to keep numbers good.

Makes sense. I’m just referring to any other farm that don’t want deer. Plenty of hunters to pick and choose from to help with the issue.

Originally Posted by Yesmate

I think this will answer the question.I have a hunting block that borders doc land and tbh I want numbers high. I let a few bods on to hunt it but don't want it getting shot up so much as to it affects my hunting.I reckon everyone that has a hunting block has the same outlook, productive farms could be different though but almost every farm has serious family member or friend that will hunt it and want to keep numbers good.

This is exactly what the issue is. What you are saying is 100% reasonable and rational, but possibly totally incompatible with the guy down the road with a native plant restoration project going. How to reconcile these two goals is beyond me.

Originally Posted by thatguy

Makes sense. I’m just referring to any other farm that don’t want deer. Plenty of hunters to pick and choose from to help with the issue.

So maybe the guy farming down the road from @Yesmate does not want deer and gets you in to shoot them. But poor old Yesmate has been watching one great stag and letting him get just a few months older, then you find this animal on the neighbouring farm and shoot him, and all the other deer Yesmate wants to protect for his hunting. See where the conflict arises? It does not work on a farm to farm basis, only on a district-wide basis. I've mentioned here already my desire to be deer-free, but there is a guy down the road who is allegedly deliberately releasing fallow. How do we reconcile this?

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

This is exactly what the issue is. What you are saying is 100% reasonable and rational, but possibly totally incompatible with the guy down the road with a native plant restoration project going. How to reconcile these two goals is beyond me.




So maybe the guy farming down the road from @Yesmate does not want deer and gets you in to shoot them. But poor old Yesmate has been watching one great stag and letting him get just a few months older, then you find this animal on the neighbouring farm and shoot him, and all the other deer Yesmate wants to protect for his hunting. See where the conflict arises? It does not work on a farm to farm basis, only on a district-wide basis. I've mentioned here already my desire to be deer-free, but there is a guy down the road who is allegedly deliberately releasing fallow. How do we reconcile this?

yep its a niggly issue alright,i don't believe there is actually a solution for all.and as mentioned above they are transient buggers they just go where the sweetest food is and then clear off not to be seen again for a while,there's no chance of nailing a mob of them as they just split after a shot or 2.I totally think the first lockdown(in the roar)has pretty much caused this issue,numbers were already high but now they are off the charts.iv never seen wild deer mobbing up in 30-50 herds before until recently.think about it every single hind would have got it during that roar and I dunno about stag numbers that roughly get shot during a standard roar,20-30%?but they all got to live as well.