Thread: Gamebird licence...

It is legislation and tradition set up long before Fish and Game arrived on the scene that protects gamebirds. From a time when duckshooting was a not only a highly gregarious community event but an activity generally governed by rules based around a sporting culture- this has been eroded under F&G as an advocacy body (rather than a management body).

Generic season lengths and limits could be set by F&G's "supervisor" DoC, which is really very similar to what is actually happening now. I would happily have my $90 gamebird tax go towards back country hut and track maintenance. I would consider that benificial.

There is very few cockies that will poison birds for the hell of it. If it happens it is for reason of mismanagement. Most duckshooters I know are cockies, many passionate about ducks, many spending alot of time on habitat- Yet cast as villans?

Looking at geese Tussock has a valid point. If geese stay off regional pest management strategies then the current goose situation is great for :-

F&G- no cost, no work, no loss of revenue (most goose hunters still shoot ducks)
Retail Sector- No limitations- 12 month sales potential
Hunters- can hunt geese and buy gear 12 months of the year

Farmers mostly tolerate (in some cases) heafty production losses for the benifit of all of the above- despite the poor perception of the rural community F&G forces on hunters and the wider public.

Could the goose model work as well for other birds? There's still geese, still rabbits, still possums and deer all despite the gazillions spent on eradication.

I will be buying a license as I am deeply passionate about ducks and wetlands. Tussocks sentiment has wheels which F&G might pay some attention to.