Thread: Molesworth Ballot 2018

Originally Posted by Reindeer

@veitnamcam we had Lower Acheron. Came out early.

Thanks for the reply......Trying to think of something cheerful to add but coming up short.

What a fukn depressing thread to read through...

Was in there a month or so ago in one of the southern blocks after geese. A little bit of pig sign and a few deer carcasses and virtually no goats. Been into this spot before and there was a small area which held goats. Other members saw two deer and very few goats. Goats don't seem to be affected by 1080 like other animals but are by chopper. So I asked the question ... and to add insult to the injury I was told choppers were aloud in pre drop and around 500 deer were taken out if not more. Maybe a deal was struck that the choppers could take deer for culling goats? Or maybe remove some deer so doesn't look so many carcasses lying about after the drop? Either way if you have a 1080 block you'll be working hard for your animals. The pessimist in me makes me wonder after doc has 1080 the whole area over the next 9 years three times and if the farming is removed then I can see access going for the public other than the road through where doc will control where you go. They could sight no game animals so no need to hunt and say access is out due to track and roads having damage and they can't afford to fix them to get into other areas. Anyone else noticed the removal of swing bridges and tracks left in disrepair, huts gone , but nice huts and good tracks where they want you to go or am I just imaging things? The farming in there stops doc poisoning a lot of areas and closing them off and could be the savior of our hunting and access

For a few years, Molesworth was an awesome place to hunt. Plenty of trophy animals - both Stags and Chamois. It was a great place to take a young fella/felless and give him/her some experience in the SI high country in amongst good numbers of animals. One of the most concerning issues now is that DOC are clearly targeting the deer, without having the balls to come clean on the whole thing, and they get away with it .

Not that I'm complaining but I wonder why exactly chamois are impossible to poison with 1080? I read a bit of the history on Stans Hut on price range in whataroa and how they set it up as a research station to study the viability of poisoning chamois with 1080 and it didn't matter how they tried to present the baits or mask the poison the chamois just won't have a bar of it, clever little buggers

It appears after talking to a son of someone involved in the molesworth 1080 operation that the powers to be are over the moon with the success of the drops and the cull of the deer in there.
Apart from the continue 1080 drops planned for the area in the next 9 years cullers are likely to make a visit in between the 3 year cycles to make sure the deer, pigs and goat numbers are as low as humanly possible . The NZDA survey results are only going to be a waste of time and money as dead deer was one of the main reasons and aim of the operation . What is likely thou is it seems that the operation has been more successful than hoped for hence its likely that the next 1080 drops will be reduced in size as long as they happy with the numbers . This reduction will be of cause used by the spin doctors to say they taken into account the concerns and the results of the NZDA terrible (lol) results on numbers of dead deer hence we working with them with more repellant and maybe less size of the next operations.
Of cause this is all BS, feed the NZDA what they want to hear but carry on with the overall plan as how they see fit.
Of cause all what i just said is hearsay from someone that says they have(father) good source invloved in the molesworth operation and i have no doubt what he says is prob about the facts of the matter but of cause no one in DOc will say as much publicly.

This repellent that everyone talks about,what is it? Last I heard or read somewhere in the last few years was that it was a wives tail and no such thing exists and not much has been put into developing one. I guess why would they as killing the deer etc is what they wantand it would make no sense to reduce the effect considering it would cost the same to apply with less result.

Have heard it's pig blood sprayed on the pellets before the drop

C'mon guys. Surely by now everyone must realise that trusting DoC to manage rather than destroy our hunting resource is for blind dumb naive fools.

molesworth is a farm and has got TB which is showing up on surrounding farms . I would say that is the main reason they are going hard on the poisoning.

Originally Posted by Woody

C'mon guys. Surely by now everyone must realise that trusting DoC to manage rather than destroy our hunting resource is for blind dumb naive fools.

The problem is is that the Department is required by law/statute/mandate(I am usure of the correct term) to eliminate pests and Deer/Thar/Cham/Goats/Pigs are listed as noxious animals/pests and as such MUST be exterminated.

What needs to change is the status of these animals away from pest and towards game.

Even tho it is illegal to target large mammals with 1080 poison we all know it is done deliberately and a Mast year or some piss week possum/rat excuse is used to cover arse.
DOC are REQUIRED to control pests.
Lets put our efforts and voices into changing our game animals status to one they deserve and a large part of our poisoning problem(as many hunters see it) will disappear.

Yep.

@veitnamcam
Went down to Stewart island years ago in the early 90's for a couple of trips. Trying to remember details but on one of them found out that DOC had poisoned one of the blocks only a month or so before we got there. On the first trip at least 10 guys for 10 days got 3 deer. One chap got two of them. Some cracking hunters in that lot too.
(not me-I'm not). Bit like going to the bunny hunt in Alex after the virus but worse. Trip ok but the game bloody hard work.
Second trip much the same less guys and days but feck all seen and only 2 0r 3 shot. Cant remember which one it was the poisoned jobbie but while it was a good trip in itself not a lot of success.
You'd think that the island was being ravaged to the bush floor but no, Whitetail are deer and as such fall into that pest category you mentioned

Originally Posted by r87mm

This repellent that everyone talks about,what is it? Last I heard or read somewhere in the last few years was that it was a wives tail and no such thing exists and not much has been put into developing one. I guess why would they as killing the deer etc is what they wantand it would make no sense to reduce the effect considering it would cost the same to apply with less result.

It works so long as it doesn't get rain on it soon after sowing. The Haurangis have been 1080'd several times with repellant and there is still a very good population of deer.

Originally Posted by Tahr

It works so long as it doesn't get rain on it soon after sowing. The Haurangis have been 1080'd several times with repellant and there is still a very good population of deer.

The northern Ruahines where done in october Bruce with no repellant, seems to be just as many deer about as before the drop.
I went out 2 weeks before the drop and 3 times afterwards into the same area so feel it reasonably accurate information.
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