Thread: Gamebird licence...

Originally Posted by username

I will pay it happily. $90 is pretty cheap for 3 months entertainment. Other options hunt tahr $70 petrol per trip, snowboarding $95 lift pass $70 petrol per trip. So pretty cheap really. Fuck knows what they do with the money though

Here at Eastern F&G area we have 4 weeks and a 10 bird limit (ducks). My son and I have a week off work for the first week, and have a lot of fun. My possie is an hour away, so it means 2hrs travel each day and an early start. I tend to do more filming than shooting these days, but the time spent is priceless in my book. We also have some great pheasant hunting, and with the odd deer trip chucked in, life is pretty good.!!

Originally Posted by R93

I am seriously debating whether I will bother or not this season. Only got a week and a half and if I buy a licence for that amount of time I may as well buy a whole season.

You got any time off the first 2 weeks in June, Rueben? If not save me some river beds this year ya bugger

Take ya pick!! Anywhere south from the Waiho lol

I'm starting to feel like I'm getting a bug or something Dave, probably too crook for work for a day around about first week or so of june....

I'm not liking this rain though, Might be paddock shooting this opening, I better put some hours in this week finding some birds.

Originally Posted by Tussock

I had a good think about it today. Everything I shoot is considered a pest. I receive nothing positive, but it does not cost me anything either. Ducks cost me money to hunt, and I all I can see that money going towards is paying rangers to check I paid it. Seems rather pointless. Not enough shooters left to make opening really opening. I see no point.

Im selling the tiny bit of duck gear I have left, gave the rest to my brother. I'm going to completely re-stock in goose gear. I will go back to ducks when they go on the feral list.

Pointless?? There are bloody ducks everywhere. Yeh goose shooting is were its at. we shot 22 a couple days ago on the neighbors.

Originally Posted by Tahr-Bound

Take ya pick!! Anywhere south from the Waiho lol

I'm starting to feel like I'm getting a bug or something Dave, probably too crook for work for a day around about first week or so of june....

I'm not liking this rain though, Might be paddock shooting this opening, I better put some hours in this week finding some birds.

Yup, definitely looking a bit green around the gills. I see theres been a heap of rain. Hope its good for the last week of May. Paddocks are as good as the river beds fun wise anyway.
I will get in touch and we will get out for a shot if your free. There seems to be more birds around the farms this year compared to last.

Originally Posted by Tussock

Cheap for what? You don't get anything. $90 for nothing is not cheap.

I bet if opening day ceased to exist, which is the only bit thats really controlled anyway, heaps of people would quit. A vast number of people no doubt only shoot opening, probably only for the social aspect. Cant be that many places left where there are enough shooters to keep the birds moving round.

Ditch fish and game and I doubt numbers would fall. Its not like people would suddenly take up the sport because there was no policed licence system. People would quit in vast numbers. I bet the duck numbers would go up considerably. Serious hunters would likely do better.

You make some good points Tussock, but without a unified voice, we duck hunters would probably face a huge task keeping the anti-hunters from closing down the sport. Some of the licence fee also goes to wetland preservation ( I believe the duck stamp funds are for this).

Originally Posted by Tussock

Cheap for what? You don't get anything. $90 for nothing is not cheap.

I bet if opening day ceased to exist, which is the only bit thats really controlled anyway, heaps of people would quit. A vast number of people no doubt only shoot opening, probably only for the social aspect. Cant be that many places left where there are enough shooters to keep the birds moving round.

Ditch fish and game and I doubt numbers would fall. Its not like people would suddenly take up the sport because there was no policed licence system. People would quit in vast numbers. I bet the duck numbers would go up considerably. Serious hunters would likely do better.

I think you are talking shite Tussock $90 is a tiny amount considering the quality of hunting available here. When you say "ditch F&G" do you mean ditch their entire management of gamebirds? I think you'd find there would be a ton LESS birds about after farmers had delt to them with poison on their paddocks and crop. I've seen it before geese were dropped and a lot more after they were dropped. F&G does a fine job.

Originally Posted by username

I will pay it happily. $90 is pretty cheap for 3 months entertainment. Other options hunt tahr $70 petrol per trip, snowboarding $95 lift pass $70 petrol per trip. So pretty cheap really. Fuck knows what they do with the money though

+1

Originally Posted by R93

Yup, definitely looking a bit green around the gills. I see theres been a heap of rain. Hope its good for the last week of May. Paddocks are as good as the river beds fun wise anyway.
I will get in touch and we will get out for a shot if your free. There seems to be more birds around the farms this year compared to last.

....yeaaaah but no dog work on paddocks and a much less predictable than a duck camp but yes, very very good shooting to be had if you strike it right. Paddocks here are a flooded duck haven one minute and a drained dry the next. Makes me nervous and I don't like it!
I've seen quite a few about as well, was at Maruia of all places working last week and saw the biggest mob I've ever seen feeding on a paddock, mallards, parries and geese. Will definitely be doing a mission there later in winter.

Originally Posted by Tahr-Bound

I think you are talking shite Tussock $90 is a tiny amount considering the quality of hunting available here. When you say "ditch F&G" do you mean ditch their entire management of gamebirds? I think you'd find there would be a ton LESS birds about after farmers had delt to them with poison on their paddocks and crop. I've seen it before geese were dropped and a lot more after they were dropped. F&G does a fine job.

I call BS. The only thing I've seen f&g do down here turned into a complete fuckup, go for a drive down the flood free when you're in Dunners next. It's the bit at this end that has less ducks now than it ever had, and that's after f&g spent a fortune making it 'better'.
Tui ad that.

Originally Posted by Tussock

I'm voting with my feet. I doubt I'm the last. What do fish and game do? Anything?

They make the hunting seasonal, they protect ducks. Without formalized game bird hunting there is nothing for the anti hunting brigade to target. With no opening day, no obvious governing body and no season they would take no interest.

There is no big social element for me, so losing opening is meaningless. So for me, roll on pest status for ducks.

Did you not just answer your own question, They protect ducks.
How would duck numbers "go up considerably" if they aren't protected? They would be poisoned and shot in large numbers year round by farmers with a problem with them. Would wapiti number increase considerably if it was open slather? or would they be gunned down by waro and hounded by foot hunters?
I'm not sure where you got anti-hunting from.

You act as though hunters are the only ones that affect duck numbers....

Originally Posted by Tussock

Who's going to do the shooting? Duck shooters of course.

They only get in a panic when numbers are high. Poisons expensive.

They protect ducks from hunters, not farmers.

So if everyone quits hunting as you say, and numbers build really high and hammer farmers paddocks and they have no one to call to help out what happens then?

You're talking all this about what you THINK would happen but I have SEEN what happens. There's a big difference.

The Tahr are classic examples of animals needing protection to save them.They would gone if there was no rules to keep the choppers in check. It's not foot hunters we have to worry about in nz.

Oh well, You can quit, more for the people willing to put in the hard yards. I'll back F&G still.

And I'm pretty sure the dead birds I saw poisoned by a farmer did happen.

Originally Posted by Tussock

I'm going to drop my perfectly sound line of reasoning now as I predict these to be very unpopular sentiments this close to opening!

It's a shame you don't have an awesome group of mates to shoot opening morning with.. I mean the type that wouldn't let you quit and that you had a couple of nice ponds with nice Mai Mai's you d built together. Then no doubt you d look forward to it , enjoy the company , the shooting and being round like minded people. Forget the fees and the bullshit etc at the end of the day I reckon for most of us it's the same as being in the bush out there doin it with great mates .. More to it than just costs. Do you reckon you d be chucking it in if the above was true ?

Originally Posted by Tussock

I had a good think about it today. Everything I shoot is considered a pest. I receive nothing positive, but it does not cost me anything either. Ducks cost me money to hunt, and I all I can see that money going towards is paying rangers to check I paid it. Seems rather pointless. Not enough shooters left to make opening really opening. I see no point.

Im selling the tiny bit of duck gear I have left, gave the rest to my brother. I'm going to completely re-stock in goose gear. I will go back to ducks when they go on the feral list.

How much do the rangers get paid...if it is a decent amount, maybe we should be rangers

Originally Posted by EeeBees

How much do the rangers get paid...if it is a decent amount, maybe we should be rangers

Umm it's voluntary I reckon. They do it free and I certainly couldn't / wouldn't .