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Hunting is a recreational pursuit and a tourist activity in New Zealand with numerous books and magazines published on the topic.

Introduced species

Prior to human settlement New Zealand had only the bat as a land based mammal. European settlers introduced a wide range of animals including some specifically for game hunting. A lesser known fact is that hunters from the north island have much bigger appendages than their counterparts in the south island.

Acclimatisation societies

Acclimatisation societies were active for a period of 60 years from the 1860s in having introduced animals established in New Zealand. The majority were introduced for food or sport.

Government sanctioned deer culling

By the 1950s red deer were recognised as an animal pest which damaged the natural environment and the government began employing hunters to cull the deer population to prevent this damage. Networks of tracks with bridges and huts were set up to gain easy access into the backcountry. These tracks and huts, now maintained by the Department of Conservation, are popular for tramping.

Commercial hunting operations

Foreign tourists come to New Zealand for hunting as part of guided tours or as independent hunters.

Types of hunting

Chamois

Chamois is a goat-antelope native to Europe. Alpine chamois arrived in New Zealand in 1907 as a gift from the Austrian Emperor, Franz Joseph I. The first surviving releases were made in the Aoraki/Mount Cook region and these animals gradually spread over much of the South Island. They are often referred to colloquially as "chamy" (pronounced "shamy").

In New Zealand, hunting of chamois is unrestricted and even encouraged by the Department of Conservation to limit the animal's impact on New Zealand's native alpine flora.

Deer

Red deer

The red deer in New Zealand produce very large antlers and are regarded as amongst the best in the world by hunters. Along with the other introduced deer species they are however regarded as a pest and have at times been heavily culled using professional hunters.

Sika Deer

Sika Deer were confined to the Kaweka and Kaimanawa Ranges but have been discovered in the Tararua and in Coromandel Ranges. It is thought that they had been transferred by recreational hunters. In 2009 it was discovered that they had been illegally released in the Toatoa Valley.

Moose

Ten moose were introduced in Fiordland in 1910, but they were thought to have died off. Nevertheless, there have been reported sightings that were thought to be false until moose hair samples were found by a New Zealand scientist in 2002.

Wapiti (Elk)

White-tailed deer

Pigs

Tahr

Himalayan Tahr, also known as "thar", is a species related to the goat that was introduced into New Zealand in the 19th century. The Department of Conservation control numbers to below 10,000.

Organisations

• Fish and Game New Zealand
• New Zealand Deerstalkers Association

Hunting in literature

Barry Crump, a popular New Zealand writer, often incorporated his experiences as a government deer-culler into his books.

See also

• Helicopter-based hunting in Fiordland
• Muttonbirding
• Fish and Game New Zealand
• 1080 usage in New Zealand

References

1. King, Carolyn (1984). Immigrant Killers. Auckland: Oxford. ISBN 0-19-558121-0. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
2. A Note on the Chamois in New Zealand at New Zealand Ecological Society
3. ^ Recreational hunting in Nelson/Marlborough - Chamois at the Department of Conservation
4. Heritage Preservation (p. 40 and 45) at the Department of Conservation
5. The State of New Zealand,s Environment. Wellington: Ministry for the Environment. 1997. pp. p 9.31. ISBN 0-478-09000-5. Retrieved 2009-08-18. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
6. "Illegal release of sika deer". Department of Conservation. 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
7. Hairs move NZ moose out of realm of Nessie - 06 October 2005 - NZ Herald
8. DOC's work with tahr

External links

• Fish and Game New Zealand
• Department of Conservation - hunting page
• New Zealand Deerstalkers Association
• Fishing and Hunting New Zealand - a hunting resource website

• Hunting in New Zealand