Hello Jim,
Not just a propaganda battle, if you really want to spoil your day, simply google NSW Game Council and look all through their website – it’ll give you the horrors! Even the Common Bronzewing will no longer be protected. And several species of deer are to be protected to make sure these goons have something to shoot at. You have got to be kidding.
The really scary bit is that the NSW Game Council is a Statutory Authority supported by (probably funded by) the NSW Government.
If Barry O’Farrell wants to save more money, maybe he could take a look at the Game Council. I wonder if it has suffered the same efficiency measures (being very polite here) that have been applied to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. I heard that what rangers are left are threatening to go on strike – good luck, they’ll need it.
I’ve always felt that our national parks in Australia would only be in danger after we have absorbed another 100 million immigrants but it seems we are quite capable of achieving that right now.
Happy New Year
Graeme ===============================
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Hello Birding-Aus people,
There is an updated map of NSW showing the National Parks in which shooting will not be allowed, which parks shooting will be allowed plus those in which shooting may be allowed in future:
http://nohunting.wildwalks.com/map
It is a Google Map and can be expanded to give detail.
In my part of the world the popular Myall Lakes National Park has been included in the shooting allowed list. This is curious because the park does not have a significant feral animal problem. There is a small group of horses that could be easily mustered and rare sightings of pigs. A stable population of dingoes keeps the cats and foxes in check. The result is a wonderful bird population. I would not be surprised to to see deer or goats appear soon.
There is a full discussion of the deer problem here:
http://theconversation.edu.au/the-protected-pest-deer-in-australia-11452
Cheers,
Jim Smart East Maitland
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For those involved in environmental consultancy, it’s usually an OH & S requirement to wear orange or yellow fluoro vests while in the field. This makes no sense when conducting bird (or other wildlife) surveys, but it is a standard workplace requirement for working in mine site areas, construction sites, roadside vegetation etc., even if the environmental consultants’ activities are restricted to bushland areas. Maybe yellow fluoro vests would be more effective than orange ones in areas where there may be hunters.
Stephen Ambrose Ryde NSW
I recall reading that a common type of hunting accident in the US is where someone is carrying the head of a deer back to camp as a trophy. They carry it on their back, making themselves a tempting target.
In the page linked to by Stephen, it appears that most NZ accidents are hunters shooting hunters, usually a friend. I doubt birders would be as likely to be accidentally shot, as hunters would be crouched in the bushes and more likely to be mistaken for prey. However they might be more vulnerable than the rest of the public because they tend to move much more slowly at times, and to avoid bright clothing.
It’s disconcerting though that in some cases the hunters who were shot were wearing bright orange clothing, and that the investigator thinks this can look like a deer in the right light. He suggests light blue instead.
Peter Shute
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There are about 20 million hunters in North America (US & Canada). According to a number of sources that I have read on the internet, every year on average there are approximately 800 non-fatal hunting accidents and 100 fatal. Not all of these accidents are due to misidentification of targets though. For instance, there may be an accidental discharge of a firearm.
Stephen Ambrose Ryde NSW
There may also be research from the US on this topic. Denise
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Following on from Kim’s comment, I came across this magazine article on the internet re hunting fatalities in NZ. I can’t comment on the accuracy of the statistics cited in the article but, if true, they are quite startling:
Title of Article: They act before they think, almost pre-programmed to shoot on reflex. http://www.investigatemagazine.com/jul03hunt.htm
One quote from the article:
“On average, since 1979 there has been one accidental shooting of a hunter by another hunter every nine months. Over the past two years, Inspector Joe Green has studied every one of these cases. While his report is currently being peer reviewed and is not scheduled for public release until mid-July, he was willing to share some of his findings with Investigate.
“Though he likes to emphasize that the number of hunting fatalities remains relatively low compared with other recreational pursuits, Green’s research still highlights some worrying aspects – in almost every case there has been a failure to correctly identify the target shot.”
Stephen Ambrose Ryde, NSW
“They are attempting to suggest with this risk management change that they are “ensuring” that shooters will not be in the same areas as anyone else, thus removing the risk of people who aren’t shooters being injured or killed.”
And so presumably the feral animals that are not in the same area as the shooters won’t be ‘controlled’?
John Leonard
Stephen,
Good luck.
Carl Clifford
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Carl,
Yes, you are quite right that a permit is required from the NSW Police as per the link you provided. The link only mentions that people associated with security firms or media outlets are eligible for this permit [Body Armour Vest Permit – section 11(2)(a)(i) of the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998]. However, when I rang the Firearms Registry on 1300 362 562 I argued my case and the officer I spoke to agreed that I would be eligible to apply for a permit. Whether I will be issued a permit remains to be seen.
Cheers, Stephen Ambrose
Stephen,
Sorry, body armour is prohibited under NSW law. There are provisions for special permits for security industry and media organisations ( eg for close security personnel and reporters working in locations in which they are likely to come under fire, e.g. Afghanistan) for a person who is just doing surveys in NPs, you would have two chances, and one of them is Buckley’s. The police are just as twitchy about body armour as silencers. If you were to be caught with it, you are likely to get three hots and a cot.
You can look up the relevant info at http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/services/firearms/permits/prohibited_weapon_permits#ProhibitedWeaponsBodyArmourVestPermitMedia
Oh, and I think HMC would give you the same reception as the police if you were to try to get an import permit.
Carl Clifford
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Dear All
There has always been hunting in national parks, state forests and the like in New Zealand. As far as I know, this has not been a conservation issue, perhaps because there are so few NZ native species that make tempting targets, except perhaps the native pigeons. But it does quite regularly result in fatal accidents. And that has not lead to any real pressure to ban hunting.
So perhaps this thought is too optimistic, Tony.
Kim
Perhaps the law would be rescinded if a few people got shot ? Perish the thought of course.
Tony
I do regular bird survey work in NSW national parks and nature reserves. Hunting will be allowed in many of the reserves where those surveys are conducted. Therefore, I have looked into the possibility of purchasing a bullet-proof vest and helmet to wear as a precaution against injury or death from a stray bullet. My understanding is that parks and reserves will be closed to the public when there is a government-sanctioned hunting expedition. But there is always the risk of other hunter(s) shooting wildlife in those areas illegally at other times. Hence the precaution I’m taking.
If you buy bullet-proof clothing from overseas you need to apply for permission from Australian Customs to import them. The relevant application form is “Application for Permission to Import Schedule 3 and 13 Weapons” (which includes bullet-proof clothing), and which can be downloaded from the Australian Customs website http://www.customs.gov.au.
I may have over-reacted to this situation, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Dr Stephen Ambrose Ambrose Ecological Services Pty Ltd Ryde, NSW
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Perhaps the law would be rescinded if a few people got shot ? Perish the thought of course.
Tony
Indeed John and I think the SMH article refers to a couple of them.
I would certainly like to hear that shooters are active and (sadly) give them a wide berth as I have done already in Binya State Forest.
The thought of the “West Sydney drive-by boys” getting their hands on a supply of silencers isn’t that appealing either and the Police Minister seems singularly unimpressed with the idea.
But lastly, and those better qualified on physics please correct me if I am wrong, but muzzle silencers are only effective on sub-sonic arms (eg handguns and say .22 rimfires). Once you get to anything capable of reliably handling deer or pigs you are way out of that league. And then there’s shotguns?
Graeme Stevens
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Having a licence doesn’t mean all hunters will behave properly, and I speak from experience.
My first husband had been a gamekeeper (for a Lord Figg in Buckinghamshire), and behaved impeccably when it came to handling firearms and shooting. I’ve only ever encountered four others who behaved as well, a neighbour, two semi-traditional relatives, and one of the men I used to shoot buffalo with (for a pet meat firm).
The other buffalo shooters liked to go out drinking and on at least one occasion shot up the local pub. Once one of them came back drunk and picking up his rifle told us he was going to kill himself. Nobody was game to stop him as he was armed and really upset. I won’t go on but I’m sure readers will get the picture.
All these men were licensed shooters.
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow 1/7 Songlark Street, Bakewell, NT 0832 043 8650 835
PhD candidate, SCU Vice-chair, Wildlife Tourism Australia Nominated for the Condé Nast international ecotourism award, 2004 by the renowned American website, Earthfoot. Wildlife Adviser, BBC¹s Deadly 60¹
Birds of Australia’s Top End and Quiet Snake Dreaming available on amazon.com A second edition of Fauna of Australia¹s Top End used by the University of NSW as a text for 12 years is now under preparation.
‘It gave me huge insight into the lives’ of Aboriginal Australians¹, Jonathon Franzen, American author, birder, conservationist (August, 2011) on Quiet Snake Dreaming.
The best guide in Darwin is Denise Goodfellow. Bo Beolens, the Fat Birder.
http://www.denisegoodfellow.com.au
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Just found this Graeme – http://www.smh.com.au/environment/fears-drunk-hunters-will-roam-parks-20121229-2c0av.html .
This wonderful body that costs NSW taxpayers $2.5 MILLION a year employs 4 people to oversee shooting in nearly 4 million hectares of parks!
On 30 December 2012 10:14, Graeme Chapmanwrote:
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