Issue 106 - April / May |
On Sale Monday 7th April

It’s that time of year again, as the days begin to shorten and night time temperatures drop, certain species start to think about procreating and the hills are reverberating with their roars!

First Wapiti, then Reds, then Sika and Fallow – with chamois only shortly afterwards and finally tahr beginning later in May. And don’t forget the waterfowl and upland hunters also getting underway the first weekend in May. Man, it’s such an enjoyable and busy time of the year!

Fi and I spent the weekend running round putting up trail cameras in our Kaweka haunts, and I’m flying south tomorrow to head off on another South Westland Red roar adventure. The only fly in the ointment is I’ll have to leave the rest of the team in the hills as I have 5 days stuck in meetings in Wellington doing my best for the future of game animals, hunting and conservation - for the New Zealand Conservation Authority and NZ Fish and Game Council – not ideal timing I’d have to say mutter mutter… So think of me stuck around the board room table as that big Sika ghosts up to you in the tight stuff and sets your heart a racing!

The Sika Foundation celebrated its 10 year anniversary this week, which is a great achievement and also they are well on the way along with the Wapiti Foundation to getting their HOSI proposals across the line. The ball is ultimately going to be in DOC’s and the Minister’s court to get the next stage of the HOSI process completed. Minister Meager has been saying all the right things in public so I have to be confident that he will deliver on the Coalition’s promises.

Other hunting sector news which is great for the GAC but not so great for Fish and Game is Corina Jordan is moving to a new role as CEO of the GAC. I know she will bring all her expertise and passion to this position and the GAC will leap ahead again from where Grant Dodson, Tim Gale and Kaylyn Pinney have got it to over the last few years. Corina already has great relationships with the Ministers, Government and the Departments she’ll need to take the GAC and hunting and game animals in New Zealand to the next level.

Please do you part in the roar and only take the mature stags that you really want to put on the wall - remembering for Reds we are talking 7 years and older, and 5 and older for the Sika. If you want some meat shoot a hind. This is the sort of game animal management we all need to start really practicing to ensure our herds survive into the future. We have to start practicing what we preach so the rest of New Zealand see us as responsible land and animal managers and take us seriously.

Be safe out there, and we look forward to hearing about all your successes and seeing them in future issues of the magazine!