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Thread: Hunting

  1. #1
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    Default Hunting

    Might not seem relevant to some but how prevelant is hunting in NZ? From what I have picked up it seems to be a favourite kiwi pastime.We hope to live in a rural area but the thought of witnessing this activity does not appeal.What animals are hunted and is it only on organised events? I was bought up on a farm here but was able to promptly remove any fox hunters or beagle packs.Is animal welfare given much consideration in general?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by watshea View Post
    Might not seem relevant to some but how prevelant is hunting in NZ? From what I have picked up it seems to be a favourite kiwi pastime.We hope to live in a rural area but the thought of witnessing this activity does not appeal.What animals are hunted and is it only on organised events? I was bought up on a farm here but was able to promptly remove any fox hunters or beagle packs.Is animal welfare given much consideration in general?
    Quite big here. No big packs of dogs, or hunting pinks with "Yoiks, Tally ho...", but lots of people have shotguns, 22's, 243's, 270's, and I've got an old Lee Enfield 303.

    A firearms license can be obtained from the NZ Police after jumping through several hoops. A written firearms safety test, interviews of family and friends, background checks for drug or violence convictions, etc. But they license the person, not the weapons, so I can get as many weapons and as much ammunition as I wish.

    You can hunt on your own land, or someone elses land with permission, with whatever type of gun you wish, and you can get a permit free from the local DoC office to hunt on DoC land. DoC do not permit shotgun or rimfire weapons. So that really means centre fire 243 or greater. This stops people hunting birds, and ensures that they have a gun large enough to make a clean kill. For me this means that I can hunt my piece of land (9 hectares) and jump over my back fence onto DoC's 600 hectares as I wish.

    It is also allowed to hunt with dogs, usually 2 or 3 dogs, but they are normally only used to corner a pig while it is shot. I personally don't like hunting with dogs, and wouldn't permit it on my land.

    Animals hunted? Introduced species are hunted as pests. Rabbit, Possum, Pig, Goat, Deer, Chamois, Thar, and so on. None of which should be here. We either hunt them, or DoC poison them with air dropped 10-80.

    Every year in Alexandra, they raise money for the local school by having a rabbit hunt, with prizes for the greatest number caught. And there is a school in Taranaki that does the same with Possum.

  3. #3
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    Thanks Pete. Really appreciate the info. Might have to re-think the rural retreat thing! Guess there's not many fellow veggies either.
    Regards,Heather

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by watshea View Post
    Thanks Pete. Really appreciate the info. Might have to re-think the rural retreat thing! Guess there's not many fellow veggies either.
    Regards,Heather
    Hunting may be popular, but it's not "in your face". You wouldn't know it was there unless you asked. You'd hear the occaisional "bang" as someone gets dinner in.

    Rural. A place where people grow things and harvest them for eating. Trees, Grapes, Corn, Milk, Beef, Pork, Venison, and so on. I'd still go for the rural retreat though. Just be aware of the reality.

    As for being a veggie? There are not many veggie options in restaurants out side the main areas.

  5. #5
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    Hunting here is going out shooting pigs, goats, ducks and deer in the bush. All are considered vermin so the ecomentalists don't bat an eyelid. Shooting possums is done simply for pleasure, and they are not usually eaten, though they can be (taste like rabbit).

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nick88 View Post
    Shooting possums is done simply for pleasure, and they are not usually eaten, though they can be (taste like rabbit).
    Not entirely for pleasure, the fur is worth $120/kg.... And I thought everything tasted like chicken.....

  7. #7
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    The hunting you'll probably be most exposed to is duck - season starts in May and if you're even semi rural you'll probably hear the guns (often quite early in the morning)

    Rabbits and possums are hunted in paddocks, bush edge, and deer pigs etc are hunted in deeper bush so less chance of you seeing it.

    All can be eaten, and usually are. There is a massive rabbit problem in southern South Island - the rabbits eat all the grass which leads to erosion and lack of feed for stock. Things improved when RHD was snuck in from Australia about 10 years ago, but the immunity has been growing and numbers are well up again which means the annual Easter Bunny Shoot in Alex (i kid you not) is getting larger bags each year.

  8. #8
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    Hunting is not too much in your face? Everywhere you look there are hunting and fishing shops!

    My daughter was on the end of an unfortunate incident in Rotorua, some idiot had been up in the bush, comes down in his ute with a dead boar in the back, still dripping with fresh blood, just parked it in a standard parking area, uncovered. Youngest went bananas at the sight.... but I suppose the number of dead things on the road tend to numb you somewhat

    I am not naive enough to say that people shouldn't hunt, after all this is how many people live here, but surely a cover would have helped?

    Oh, and I am the only non veggie in the family, and it is difficult to find stuff at times.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nick88 View Post
    Hunting here is going out shooting pigs, goats, ducks and deer in the bush. All are considered vermin so the ecomentalists don't bat an eyelid. Shooting possums is done simply for pleasure, and they are not usually eaten, though they can be (taste like rabbit).


    "ecomentalists!" Personally I'd be more inclined to say the gun toting man who kills animals simply for pleasure is further down the "mentalist spectrum"
    Last edited by andrewandjane; 22nd January 2008 at 11:47 AM.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by andrewandjane View Post


    "ecomentalists!" Personally I'd be more inclined to say the gun toting man who kills animals simply for pleasure is further down the "mentalist spectrum"
    I'm eco minded- and I though I've never been to NZ after reading about what it allowed to be hunted and the problems they cause I fully support it. Why not shoot a vermin and have some dinner? It's better than poisoning it and letting the carcass rot.

    If these vermin are not eradicated/managed then the ecosystem of NZ may well collapse and many of the unique animals (birds esp.) would be lost. We (humans) brought them in, we should take care of the mess we made.

    So let them hunt!

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