Thread: Newshub attacking Sika

Originally Posted by Tahr

This time last year I thought I would do a trip to the Kaweka BR campsite by myself. Chris used to back load me in and out of there for a few hundred dollars. With Chris closed down Heli Sika were the only option. I emailed them asking for a price - said I was flexible and was happy to fit in with a back load or what ever.

Here's their reply:

$2020 incl GST for the H500 (max 400kg payload) + DOC land fees of $50.60 each.

So I haven't been into the Kawekas since Chris left.

I did exactly the same and got the same response

The beauty of collective knowledge on here (think tanks) solutions can be found.

There’s plenty of grumbling for various reasons about Helisika.. Perhaps a bit of a stretch, but it’s possible they’re a big part of the problem.
Logically they want reasonable numbers to keep their clients coming back.
They have no competition.
Iwi and Doc are wanting to collect $$ along the way so it must surely contribute to the absurdly high flight costs, which discourage hunters such as Tahr, which in turn reduces pressure or population control.

Perhaps climate change also plays a part? If the winters aren’t as long and hard, it’s probable more animals survive the winter that may not have made it 20 or 30 years ago?

My assumption is: despite the growing popularity of hunting, the time-cost pressures mean the number of younger hunters who head into the hills compared to the 60’s 70’s 80’s is less.
I grew up as a kid in Tok hearing stories of shift workers heading into Kaimanawa’s Kaweka’s on their 4 days off. On CT 90’s poaching the back of stations, spotlighting, and selling, distributing meat around town. Flying for a very low cost in a fixed wing deep into the park.
Thinking back now; it was considered a Robin Hood type endeavour, whereas now days it’s criminal, and we frown upon it.
They were fit hard men, who were hunters, not road end, can shooting pissheads. They shot a lot of deer, everything was fair game, no leaving hinds and stags that weren’t old enough, or didn’t have enough length on one tine.
They could sell their meat, and provide for their families.
Even our societal changes have an impact. These same men were hard fellas who had the treat em mean keep em keen attitude, where their wives families were concerned.
They were the sole breadwinner for the family. They did what they wanted, when they wanted. They most certainly didn’t need to earn “brownie points” to get a “leave pass” to go hunting…

A raft of health & safety measures from food safety to personal safety, have made us risk adverse weaklings.

Even thinking about the gang problems (a bit of a tangent I know) I recall a gang getting a bit out of control and dominant in town. It was these same shift working forestry men who sorted it out. Big dust up out on state Highway 1.
Lead news story on national news the next night, but problem solved. The gang members slunk off back to their pads and pulled their heads in.


To summarise before I get into my Sunday:
I think it’s fairly reasonable/obvious to assume the reduced hunting pressures, and changes in hunting and societal attitudes have led to the growth in numbers.

The question is how do we get hunters who aren't time poor, into the hills?
Perhaps with the possible changes in the wind, and a minister for hunting and fishing there can be some constructive collaboration with Doc.
They need to build a collaborative relationship with hunters and utilise these resources at their disposal. Find a way to economically put hunters into the areas they need to be.
This will raise the hackles of the farmers on here, but they need to ensure access to doc estate across private land, they need to punish those who prevent and allow the build up of numbers.
Lastly content producers like the Duley’s, Red Stag hunters, and those of you who are into your video/YouTube production.
Start knocking over hinds and lots of them. Rather than taking all the meat of one, leaving nothing. Take the back steaks and hind quarters, but take 3 or 4, 6 or 7.
Film it, normalise it.
I’m as guilty as anyone, last few trips down south I’ve seen/watched 30 - 40 deer a day, taken ONE.

Originally Posted by Lauries Hut

The beauty of collective knowledge on here (think tanks) solutions can be found.

There’s plenty of grumbling for various reasons about Helisika.. Perhaps a bit of a stretch, but it’s possible they’re a big part of the problem.
Logically they want reasonable numbers to keep their clients coming back.
They have no competition.
Iwi and Doc are wanting to collect $$ along the way so it must surely contribute to the absurdly high flight costs, which discourage hunters such as Tahr, which in turn reduces pressure or population control.

Perhaps climate change also plays a part? If the winters aren’t as long and hard, it’s probable more animals survive the winter that may not have made it 20 or 30 years ago?

My assumption is: despite the growing popularity of hunting, the time-cost pressures mean the number of younger hunters who head into the hills compared to the 60’s 70’s 80’s is less.
I grew up as a kid in Tok hearing stories of shift workers heading into Kaimanawa’s Kaweka’s on their 4 days off. On CT 90’s poaching the back of stations, spotlighting, and selling, distributing meat around town. Flying for a very low cost in a fixed wing deep into the park.
Thinking back now; it was considered a Robin Hood type endeavour, whereas now days it’s criminal, and we frown upon it.
They were fit hard men, who were hunters, not road end, can shooting pissheads. They shot a lot of deer, everything was fair game, no leaving hinds and stags that weren’t old enough, or didn’t have enough length on one tine.
They could sell their meat, and provide for their families.
Even our societal changes have an impact. These same men were hard fellas who had the treat em mean keep em keen attitude, where their wives families were concerned.
They were the sole breadwinner for the family. They did what they wanted, when they wanted. They most certainly didn’t need to earn “brownie points” to get a “leave pass” to go hunting…

A raft of health & safety measures from food safety to personal safety, have made us risk adverse weaklings.

Even thinking about the gang problems (a bit of a tangent I know) I recall a gang getting a bit out of control and dominant in town. It was these same shift working forestry men who sorted it out. Big dust up out on state Highway 1.
Lead news story on national news the next night, but problem solved. The gang members slunk off back to their pads and pulled their heads in.


To summarise before I get into my Sunday:
I think it’s fairly reasonable/obvious to assume the reduced hunting pressures, and changes in hunting and societal attitudes have led to the growth in numbers.

The question is how do we get hunters who aren't time poor, into the hills?
Perhaps with the possible changes in the wind, and a minister for hunting and fishing there can be some constructive collaboration with Doc.
They need to build a collaborative relationship with hunters and utilise these resources at their disposal. Find a way to economically put hunters into the areas they need to be.
This will raise the hackles of the farmers on here, but they need to ensure access to doc estate across private land, they need to punish those who prevent and allow the build up of numbers.
Lastly content producers like the Duley’s, Red Stag hunters, and those of you who are into your video/YouTube production.
Start knocking over hinds and lots of them. Rather than taking all the meat of one, leaving nothing. Take the back steaks and hind quarters, but take 3 or 4, 6 or 7.
Film it, normalise it.
I’m as guilty as anyone, last few trips down south I’ve seen/watched 30 - 40 deer a day, taken ONE.

I also think a culture change in hunting may factor in too. A lot of my generation aren’t into bush hunting. Not bothered on learning how to do it. Sika in the Kawekas are mostly bush deer and it can be low percentage hunting sometimes.
A lot of people want easy deer on slips and tops. Not hard won deer from the back of nowhere. There are still plenty that do, but the number of guys I meet in there with long range rigs is easily double what I would meet in the more heavily bushed country in there.
Surely that has some impact. I think the park has more pressure than ever but its concentrated on the open stuff more so than in the bush. Its still relatively simple to find a bush catchment with no one in it both in the front and back country. But finding a set of tops that doesnt have a hunting party there from September through to May is a little more challenging.

Just my thoughts.

Originally Posted by hebe

I also think a culture change in hunting may factor in too. A lot of my generation aren’t into bush hunting. Not bothered on learning how to do it. Sika in the Kawekas are mostly bush deer and it can be low percentage hunting sometimes.
A lot of people want easy deer on slips and tops. Not hard won deer from the back of nowhere. There are still plenty that do, but the number of guys I meet in there with long range rigs is easily double what I would meet in the more heavily bushed country in there.
Surely that has some impact. I think the park has more pressure than ever but its concentrated on the open stuff more so than in the bush. Its still relatively simple to find a bush catchment with no one in it both in the front and back country. But finding a set of tops that doesnt have a hunting party there from September through to May is a little more challenging.

Just my thoughts.

I suspect the easy deer expectation comes about from TV shows. Watch a half hour show and you usually get to see a number of animals thanks to editing.
Walk the for same amount of time and the sightings are quite different.
We now live in an age where people want instant results.

Originally Posted by hebe

I also think a culture change in hunting may factor in too. A lot of my generation aren’t into bush hunting. Not bothered on learning how to do it. Sika in the Kawekas are mostly bush deer and it can be low percentage hunting sometimes.
A lot of people want easy deer on slips and tops. Not hard won deer from the back of nowhere. There are still plenty that do, but the number of guys I meet in there with long range rigs is easily double what I would meet in the more heavily bushed country in there.
Surely that has some impact. I think the park has more pressure than ever but its concentrated on the open stuff more so than in the bush. Its still relatively simple to find a bush catchment with no one in it both in the front and back country. But finding a set of tops that doesnt have a hunting party there from September through to May is a little more challenging.

Just my thoughts.

I agree with this
All my hunting years ago was bush hunting. Now i hardly go bush. No need to deer a every where. Also the headache of parking at a road end or on the side of the road.
I shot a deer in the bush yesterday (doc land) and its been a while. Thankfully this deer one of three was the dumbest deer ever come across
I do my best to target hinds during the year up until mid November then will target yearlings now for 3 or 4 months.