‘Plan would not stop poaching’

Press, 4 March 1978, Page 4

‘Plan would not stop poaching’

The Wild Animal Control Act cannot work because recreational and commercial hunting cannot be put side by side, according to Mr B. Candy, national president of the Big Game Hunters’ Association.

Mr Candy was commenting after he and two other members of the association had made representation to the Minister for the Environment (Mr V. S. Young). Mr Candy said that tentative areas had been planned for recreational hunting of deer, in the Manawatu, Rotorua, Lake, Wakatipu, Kaipara, Wanganui, and Blue Mountain regions.

This would not stop commercial deer hunters from poaching on the land set aside, he said. Penalties for poaching ranged from $3OOO to $5OOO. “This sum means nothing to a commercial hunter who can get up to $lOOO from one deer with velvet antlers reaching $45 a pound and venison meat at $1 a pound,” he said. It was very difficult to

define an area banned to helicopter pilots hunting deer, as had been proved in the past, said Mr Candy. He proposed to Mr Young that instead of a fine, a commercial hunter caught poaching for the first time should have his licence taken from him for three months and have his helicopter grounded for the same period. For a second offence he suggested three years grounding of the pilot. Mr Candy said that Mr Young did not plan to amend the act this year. Some of the areas considered for recreational hunting were near Lake Wakatipu and Milford Sound, said Mr Candy. “Lake Wakatipu is the worst place Mr Young could think of for a recreational area,” he said. “Mainly white-tailed deer are there and no red deer for trophies. “It is also right in the heart of the commercial deer hunting area at the moment, which would mean there would be poaching.”