Thread: Tahr cull doc betrayal

Originally Posted by Tahr

This is the sort of data DOC have published in the past:

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...hr/tahr-culls/

I expect that the only areas that recreational hunters would "bomb hard" would be where there is ute and hut access. Fringe stuff that wouldn't make much of a difference. I have very little faith in recreational hunters making any sort of dent in them.

I've quoted these numbers in this very thread, in the context of "rec hunters contribution is historically small compared to DOC/AATH SAD". However in 2012 TIG culls removed 707 tahr, DOC was 2269 or thereabouts. What conclusion you draw depends on how you wish to spin it. But 707 animals culled at somewhere between $20-120 per kill (there are some numbers somewhere on the DOC website from the mid 2000s but I can't find them right now)... is a significant amount of free control.

Hunters can absolutely make a good contribution to tahr control, but hunting groups need to actively get involved and advocate to do it, and they need to be honest about numbers seen etc - lying about kill returns or numbers seen doesn't help with a productive relationship