Petition against Helicopter Hunting in New Zealand

[Paul R]

I want to make the good people on TradGang aware of an issue our New Zealand brothers and sisters are facing at the moment, regarding Helicopter hunting in New Zealand's wilderness areas. I also want to ask for TradGangs support with a petition against legalizing this practice.

The petition can be found here:
  http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-guided-helicopter-hunting.html  

Heli Hunting is the shooting of Tahr, Chamois, Whitetail and other species from helicopters by paying 'hunters'. A helicopter flys into the hunting area where a suitable trophy is selected by the guide and client, who then shoots the animal from the hovering helicopter. It may also involve dropping 'hunters' off and herding the animals towards them with helicopters so they can be shot. At the moment it is illegal to Heli Hunt in New Zealand.

This is what the Chris, the guy who started this petition has to say:

The New Zealand Department of Conservation(DOC) come September are going to make guided heli-hunting on public land a legal activity.

Heli-hunting destroys the natural quiet of the NZ backcountry and more importantly destroys the cream of our trophy tahr, chamois and mainland
whitetail every year. This has been happening ilegally!

With massive recent pressure from recreational hunters and some hunting guides DOC have realised they need to clear up the illegal heli-hunting issue. The easiest answer for them is to legalise the activity!!!!!

Things may already be too far gone this petition may not achieve anything but at least when you come over to NZ for a hunt in 5 years time and see nothing but female animals and juvenille males left you'll be able to say you tried to stop this.
Please take 1 minute to sign the petition, its simple and easy

Thanks
Chris.

In my personal opinion the allowing of Helicopter hunts within New Zealand's wilderness areas will have drastic negative consequences for hunting in that country and for anyone who ever planned on hunting those beautiful wilderness areas. Please show your support for our fellow hunters in New Zealand by signing the petition.

[Ray Hammond]

Unfortunately your game department seems hell bent on removing all introduced species to NZ so their position would seem to fall in line with the desired result they are hoping for?

The state of California recently exterminated elk from one or more of its coastal islands- they wanted the island to go back to its original situation- completely barren of all life save for grasses and a few flowers.

[Colotrad]

I guess I'd need to see the biological science and reasoning behind the proposal before I could sign a petition to stop it.

[tradtusker]

man hunters are so lazy
what happened to using your own legs to hunt and find your game.
happens all over the place every second guy in southern Africa hunts of the back of a pick up,
heli's in NZ
Atv here is the states
they buy every gadget to make them "more successful" like the guys on "TV"

its a shame

[Brian Krebs]

Just a friendly question: does the helicopters flying around with dead animals hanging from them- disturb the rest of the public to the point where it: is an issue in and of itself?

[Ray Hammond]

I don't think that's the issue, Bryan...I think its more the flying into the mountains, spotting chamois, tahr, etc, then setting down and a "hunter" shooting the game...the only thing they could do to make it more obscene is to actually shoot FROM the helicopter.

[Brian Krebs]

Well - we can be glad they don't do that Ray - there would be endless threads on which broadhead is best from a helicopter...    :D

[recurvecody]

they allowed oklahomans to hunt and shoot from a heli in oklahoma for hogs. didn't really help reduce the hog population b/c the average hunter aint got a heli setting in there back yard to go out and shoot them.

[SveinD]

Signed.. That is not hunting, but a way for people to feel cool and shoot stuff..

[Johnnylongbow]

Nothing Piano wire can't fix.