Thread: Illegal hunting..does it bother you?

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Could you perhaps expand on the above please Tahr. Fish and Game are umbrellaed under the Conservation Act. Would the way in which the law is applied to F&G offences be an indication of how it might also be applied to DOC hunting offences ?. F&G seem to be able to get a prosecution for intent - possession of a rod or gun without a licence and no proof of illegal activity.

Get your head around this little lot It goes through some of the important principles, but its damn complex.

https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/asset.../2019/jsep.pdf

Originally Posted by Tahr

Get your head around this little lot It goes through some of the important principles, but its damn complex.

https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/asset.../2019/jsep.pdf

So after a quick read it seems to me that thermals that are not attached to firearms or bows etc would be legal. They are visual aids / tools for locating wildlife the same as binoculars, spotting scopes and even glasses and their use does not cause disturbance or molest wildlife. They in themselves cannot be used for hunting. Drones however do have the potential to disturb or molest protected species.

I do wonder about the law around poaching, when unprotected game animals owned by the Crown are taken from private land. I always think that the offence should be around discharging a firearm on private land and not the animal.