Thread: fish and game elections

GSP Follower- Refer back to my advice on the Brace Yourself thread. The reduction of 12 positions to 8 coinciding with a high number of candidates is luck. I understand the CEO favours smaller councils, possibly to induce more elections making F&G seem less disfranchised with those it supposedly advocates for?

I thought you'd like this- "I’m must say I don’t share any enthusiasm for the late Bob McDowell who I knew personally - (we went to Palmerston North Boys High School together - a couple of classes back). We occasionally met in years later and I recall in the 1970s he and Bryce Johnson urging me to drop opposition to trout farming". A quote attributed to Tony Orman

Interesting there is a some current discourse by trout fishers over trout farming around Taupo- while the likes of Lyndsey Lyons NZF&G Council Chairman- has done his best to enable farmed ducking.... go figure. It is only an assumption that people will spend many thousands buying birds, feeding them gamekeeping and have guests turn up from wherever without cost recovery occurring. It is highly probable they are duck philanthropists- bless their kind soles.

It is also an assumption there will be "creep" in landowners discovering they can charge reasonably openly to shoot the resource our hunting tax manages for us (?). The future looks great for people of limited means which is spot on as the laws were put in place to ensure classless hunting.

Some basic observations relating to duck breeding:-

The regions showing the greatest anecdotal dissatisfaction with the resource are the regions most progressive with bird breeding- which may only be a coincidence or a need for more philanthropy.

Hunters I have been in contact with, shooting within a few kilometres of where tame mallards have been held and released have found significant decline in their own shooting returns and never shot a tame banded bird. This is either a coincidence or a tribute to gamekeeping excellence which should be applauded in my view.

DoC don't appear to have done any pre permit studies on the impact bred birds might have on the wild population. I could imagine fed tame birds creating a significant drain on wild populations especially in area's where feeding isn't allowed- e.g. A/W where no feed 1 month out and within 100 meters of shooting stands- a rule seemingly designed for good gamekeeping. I imagine you could train tame and wild alike to tolerate gunfire and even come to a whistle? (this would save some of us having to buy a duck call, assuming you can whistle, decoys and camo clothing, thus cheapening the noble art of duck bothering)

Nothing happens without the nod of the CEO. Nothing happens without the nod of the CEO. Nothing....

On the other topic you raised GSPF, though I am not willing to deliberately test it- I feel enough precedent has been set relating to F&G willingly ignoring selected laws which would give a half decent lawyer a better than average crack at overturning or defeating court action for no license, using lead etc. I wouldn't take the mitigation option where I to find myself on the wrong side of game regulations, (which is unlikely).