No Hunting In National Parks!

[ourkind]

Recently I heard that the NSW Government are going to allow recreational hunting in National Parks across New South Wales.

This evening while researching an area I recently visited with my camera I came across this site (http://nohunting.wildwalks.com) which contains an online letter template that allows you to send a letter to your local Minister of Parliament.

If you think that allowing hunters to wonder around our National Parks toting guns destroying our wildlife and in some recorded instances overseas, New Zealand for one, accidentally shooting a bushwalker or Park Ranger an outrageous proposition then please write a letter to your local member to say you are unhappy about this!

Check out the tool at http://nohunting.wildwalks.com it makes it easy to write and send a letter, you just need to complete your personal details, select a couple of drop boxes and click send. That's it!

Thanks for your time.

[AstralTraveller]

Thanks for the heads up Carlos. If anyone thinks recreational hunting in national parks is a good idea, I've got a really nice bridge for sale. I know someone who, years ago, came within a second of shooting a bloke in the head thinking he was looking at a rabbit. It was near sunset and he was looking towards the sun, so only seeing silhouettes. The bloke was just over the ridge and only his hat, with a feather stuck in it (which he saw as the ear), was visible. Just as he had a bead and was about to squeeze the trigger the bloke moved and he realised what it was. He put the gun down and has never touched one since.

As I understand it pollies keep stats on the letters they receive and not all letters get the same 'score'. It grades from hand-written letters in the mail having the highest score down to on-line petitions where you just have to push a button having the lowest. So, while using the web site that Carlos pointed us to is good (and certainly is better than what I have done so far) a personal email is better and putting a real pen to real paper is even better again.

You also get the added amusement of a reply - if you write they have to reply ...... eventually. Just this week I received a reply from Sharron Bird to the letter I sent on 18/4 about the cuts to university funding. Oh, what cleaver weasel words!! However it does not compare to the wonderful personalised apology I received from Amanda Vanstone when her dept completely stuffed mine and my wife's Ausstudy payments. (The cheque for $5k refunding the moneys incorrectly withheld from my payment was even more welcome at the time - church mice can do a lot with $5k.)

[torana68]

[QUOTE=ourkind;991646]


If you think that allowing hunters to wonder around our National Parks toting guns destroying our wildlife

First up I think it's a good idea. But before I go on we need to understand the hunting is for ferals not "our wildlife". The feral animals kill "our wildlife" and need to be removed, govt can't afford to do it but someone needs to. The hunters have a special licence after training, they won't be shooting anything they can't 100 percent identify, only a fool would do so. They will be in selected areas, not anywhere There are idiots out there illegally hunting on forests with gun, bow and dog . These people need to be stopped, they will most likely be unlicenced, report any you see. Lastly lets not worry about what happens overseas where laws are nothing like ours.:D

[noeyedeer]

I'm not in nsw or anything but I think wildlife... native wildlife are already under the thumb from habitat loss and roads etc, there's no need for this.

I donate $50 a month to the wwf ... hopefully they can move some of their weight on the government with this. national parks seems like the only place animals can feel safe ... now they're hunted ... geez.

say good bye to animals .. I feel sorry for future generations that will never see a goanna or a snake or a koala in the wild. they probably won't because theyre too busy on the Xbox or iPad or whatever ....

matt

(if its to hunt feral or introduced species then I'm all for it)

[noeyedeer]

thanks for the clarification torry.

[tlgerdes]

+1

Too many pigs, goats, cats, deer, horses, rabbits, foxes and dogs destroying our national parks

[Larryp]

Its my understanding that only feral animals are to be hunted. Most native species are protected anyway.

[multiweb]

+1 and the occasional bogan. :lol:

[alocky]

Haven't hunted since I was a teenager and don't feel the need to kill things, these days I'd rather photograph them and shoot at bits of paper instead. However, it is entirely a personal view and there are people who like to hunt. However, education and training and monitoring of hunter's behavior is essential. For example - shooting at something silhouetted against the sky is one of the biggest no-no's in basic firearm safety. You must know what the bullet will hit when you miss your target. There should also be a defined minimum standard of marksmanship required and demonstrated by the hunters.
My thoughts only.
Cheers,
Andrew.

[Gruffalo]

I have no problem with pest destruction whatsoever. It's not hunting, it's a vital task as these ferals are decimating Australia's indigenous species.


I also have no issues with hnters that take an animal for food.

I DO have significant issues with people that hunt purely for "fun". It's unnecessary and abhorrent to me. I cannot stand to look at those hunting magazines in the newsagent showing some nimrod smiling on the cover with his big bang death stick and a lion next to him. Makes me ill to my stomach, and these people need psychiatric evaluation!

If the National Parks service is smart enough, they will CLOSE the parks on the hunting days to the public, and sign it as such. The hunters should also be properly licensed for feral destruction, be appropriately trained, and monitored.

[AstralTraveller]

I would support hunting if it was safe and effective. Unfortunately I feel it will be neither.

To be effective a significant portion of a feral population has to be removed in a short time. Where this is done by rangers or other land managers, significant numbers of professional shooters are mobilised to blitz an area. The shooting is also often part of a concerted program that includes other measure like poisoning and, in the case of rabbits, digging up of burrows. If a social party of hunters operate in a park that has (say) 1000 donkeys on it and they kill 10-20 they will have basically zero effect on the population. If the hunters operate fairly frequently but just shoot a few each time I suspect that will not decrease the feral population but they will provide a steady supply of food for scavengers, including wild dogs. But even if it is native scavengers that benefit this can still be a problem for other native species. It is well known that people feeding currawongs around urban areas allows a greater-than-natural population to survive and that in turn results in more nest predation of prey species.

The motivation of recreational hunters isn't to remove feral animals completely, after all that would ruin their fun! In fact, even significantly reducing the population is a problem for them. For the hunter a large population of easy-to-find targets is the ideal. So any good will just be a by-product and I'm always sceptical of such arrangements. Since their motivation is to shoot something, anything! how long can it be before lazy or incompitent hunters who can't locate a feral species decide skippy or some lumbering wombat is an easier target? I think the evidence is 'not very long'.

As for safety, I'm worried and so are the park staff who have to work in the area. I haven't heard any talk of closing parks but I have heard hunters suggest that park users wear high-visibility clothing to keep themselves safe. Give me a break! I'm a keen birdwatcher and so like to be inconspicuous when walking around. Why should the onus be on me to stand out like a sore thumb? In any case a bullet can travel much further than the hunter can see. I have little faith that all hunters will make sure they 'miss safely' and overseas experience supports my concerns.

I'm all for controlling feral animals but this plan is a 'fail' and a tragedy in the making.

[hotspur]

I suppose I am a reasonable hunter,living in the bush,and do it as part of my getting around various remote locations on private lands I work on-usually a bit of vermin control such as wild dogs and red deer,even then I do not like to do it all the time-and even then do not like to to see waste of deer meat/carcass-so look see that can be used.

The thought of people from the city going to national parks to hunt,is rather a concern,I have had enough of poachers in our lease hold country,and in private lands we work on,and come april down one creek sounds like vietnam,and its best to keep inside.:scared3:

Having a mob of city hunters in a national park with very high powered rifles is not a good idea.Some of these rifles fire bullets that are over three inches long and as thick as the middle of your thumb-one bloke showed me this bullet and went on about how powerful the bullet was and how far away it could get a deer-such long distances and bla bla bla.These people are not hunters-to me hunting is getting as close as possible to the target-many of these people today just do not do that.

[ourkind]

[QUOTE=torana68;991688]


I should have made it clearer that the hunting was restricted to Feral Animals and not Protected Wildlife.

However stating that "The hunters have a special licence after training, they won't be shooting anything they can't 100 percent identify, only a fool would do so." is a big call.

I qoute: http://nohunting.wildwalks.com/risks

"In order to hunt in state forests and national parks you must be over 12 years of age, must pass R-license accreditation, and be a member of a Game Council Approved Hunting Organisation.

To pass the R-license test, it is possible to obtain assistance during the test, there is no requirement to undertake any species identification training nor requirement to demonstrate any level of skill. It is possible to obtains a license having never fired a gun.

It is also possible for a child as young as 12 years of age learn to use a gun in a national park under the supervision of a poorly skilled hunter.
Listen to this 15 May 2013 broadcast where the NSW Premier, ironically, assures the public that hunting in NSW national parks is as safe as fires! http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/05/15/3759756.htm?site=southeastnsw (http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/05/15/3759756.htm?site=southeastnsw) "

I'm all for protecting our wildlife but not at the cost of being shot while I'm bush walking!

Yes feral animal populations are out of control, I fear that it's probably too late to reverse the damage, but why not invest the 19.1 million dollars on scientific research, rather than on a recreational hunting program which will not make a dent on the feral animal populations?

Finally laws in New Zealand ARE something like ours, (stealing is a crime ;)) but the point was that we are opening a gateway to city slicker hero's shooting bullets missing targets, injuring or worse killing wildlife and humans. In my opinion this is not an acceptable risk.

[GrahamL]

I've run into and chatted with a couple of professional shooters in a small out of the way national park and to honest you wouldn't know they are there, saw them enter on dark and have a cupper at the campsite at dawn when they left , I doubt any would of known what they were up to.

The larger parks often have 5 day walking trails or longer zig sagging across there length as well as day entries,I can't see how anyone could really manage that situation let alone the national parks service who already have very few resources.

I'd like to see feral animals dealt with in our national parks and think the govt should pony up and pay for it , some electricity sell off funds perhaps?



Had a paediatrician tell my wife and I once one of the last abilities a developing childs brain wires into the reasoning process is the perception of depth, some time in there early teens !

[torana68]

Originally Posted by ourkind
I qoute: http://nohunting.wildwalks.com/risks

"In order to hunt in state forests and national parks you must be over 12 years of age, must pass R-license accreditation, and be a member of a Game Council Approved Hunting Organisation.

To pass the R-license test, it is possible to obtain assistance during the test, there is no requirement to undertake any species identification training nor requirement to demonstrate any level of skill. It is possible to obtains a license having never fired a gun.

It is also possible for a child as young as 12 years of age learn to use a gun in a national park under the supervision of a poorly skilled hunter.
Listen to this 15 May 2013 broadcast where the NSW Premier, ironically, assures the public that hunting in NSW national............"

well if your going to quote law at least do it from a law site not an anti hunter site that changes stuff to suit. Im in NSW so I can only talk about what happens here .For a 12 to 18yo the law is:

"This permit authorises the minor to possess and use firearms under the personal supervision of a firearms licence holder for the purpose of receiving instruction in the safe use of firearms or competing in shooting events. This permit does not authorise the acquisition of firearms."

you wont be hunting on a minors permit.

Now the R class licence, yes you can get help . if you have a physical dissability! Yes you can get a fireams licence without shooting as to shoot without one is a criminal offence! the R class is "recreational" you have further hoops to jump for this ,the R, not being the basic glub shooting licence (after safety course, club membership etc) you now need to own a large plot of land, probably 100 acres or more or you have written permission from a land holder to hunt there (try finding that!).
Now another thing an R class does NOT allow you to hunt in state forrest(NSW Govt. site):
You CANNOT hunt in these locations unless you have a Restricted Game Hunting Licence provided by Game Council NSW and a Written Permission document generated by the Game Council NSW system. Accessing the following information list DOES NOT constitute permission to hunt.

I'm all for protecting our wildlife but not at the cost of being shot while I'm bush walking!

dont walk in closed areas, if you see anything dodgy report it! the closest hunting area to Sydney (for example) is 130K's away, if your driving that far for a walk you do some research on where to go wouldnt you?

Yes feral animal populations are out of control, I fear that it's probably too late to reverse the damage,

the only time its too late is when you do nothing, or decide to wander off and do some more research in the mean time. Research gave us the cane toad. why not become part of the solution, get the appropriate licence and go for walks? Im more than happy for everyone to have opinions but at least read the real laws not the fiddled with stuff on "anti" sites (applies to everything, make informed decisions based on fact)
Roger

[AstralTraveller]

Well, the Game Council has been dissolved because of the illegal activity of some of its senior members. Great start. So now even more taxpayer money will be spent in an attempt to make guns and recreation mix safely. Meanwhile the whole assumption that this will help is still not proven, in fact it's most likely a fallacy.

http://www.invasives.org.au/documents/file/reports/EssayProject_RecHunting_FeralContro l.pdf