Thread: the OFF TOPIC to Stags shot 21 (discussion of wild animal management)

Originally Posted by Stocky

I called Wayne Costello to tell him an area with a mob of 50 plus goats in the tops. I only had 10 rounds and was still hunting so didnt take any until I was on my way out. Made a point of shooting goat in a mob of 7 starting with the nannies. I checked and the main mob was completely undisturbed. I didn't get a call back or anything. Shit a heli to drop 2 guys in with rifles accurate to 4-500 yards and you would shoot damn near everyone of them if you made a point of targetting the lead animal (used to do this culling in taranaki and could shoot out entire basins of 100 plus goats with 3 shooters.

I don't doubt this. However look at it from the perspective of a land manager - there may be no budget for ungulate control in that area, there may be no skilled staff available to do that work, that area may not be a priority for ungulate control budget or staff that are available, or controlling ungulates in that area may not achieve any defined outcome goal. All of these reasons for inaction on a public report of high goat numbers are highly probable. Prioritisation of limited resources is the reality of a DOC manager, within the constraints of a prescriptive system.

I encourage shooting all goats however I recognise that in doing so it may be entirely futile in terms of achieving any actual measurable positive ecological outcome in the area. There are goat culling operations that have failed to achieve a measurable difference in vegetation structure/composition in forest compared to uncontrolled areas - i.e. the control effort is insufficient to achieve any measurable effect. This is wasted management money.

Incentivising hunters to do more for less public cost may be a win if outcomes are adequately monitored and data on hunter efforts is available and accurate (honest).

e: also where was it? I've got loads of .223