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Andrew Faram is a
possum hunter in the central North Island of New
Zealand. He enjoys many of the hunting, shooting
and fishing opportunities the New Zealand
outdoors provide. Andrew is also interested in
self reliance and is always keen to put together
a tasty meal sourced from the wild, or his small
farm. His dinner guests might not always agree.
www.luvtohunt.com
Free Hunting in New
Zealand
By Andrew Faram
Here in NZ we
are lucky enough to be able to hunt big game and
pests for free; free from officialdoms costs
anyway. We don't have to pay for licenses, tags,
permits or local guides. We do have to pay for
travel, food, accommodation, equipment etc.
There is usually no limit on when or how many
animals are killed.
Our big game deer species are Wapiti, Red, Sika,
Fallow, Sambar, Rusa, and White tail. Red deer
are found throughout New Zealand , the other
deer types are more localized. Other species are
Chamois, Thar, feral pigs and goats. Goats and
pigs are widespread and goats in particular are
controlled as pests in many areas. Our more
popular pests for hunting are rabbits, hares,
possums and wallabies. |
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We have about
30% of the country protected as public land,
called National parks, Forest parks and
reserves. Hunting is allowed in most of these
with little or no restriction.
There is also a lot of very good hunting land
that is privately owned. New Zealand land owners
aren't allowed to sell hunting rights. Game
animals belong to the public. Some do sell
guiding expertise, and access rights though, so
the situation is somewhat muddied. The majority
of farmers with game habitat will allow access
for hunting if asked politely. Although the old
saying of “it's not what you know, but who you
know” applies.
The Department of Conservation (government
department) looks after all the National and
Forest parks, although like all bureaucrats they
need to be reminded they are caretakers and not
owners. The Department of Conservation (DOC) is
responsible for the upkeep of tracks and huts in
the parks. There is a hut fee that varies
depending on the condition of the hut. DOC also
expects a fee for camp sites with amenities.
There are however plenty of sites to pitch a
tent for free.
New Zealand has only mildly restrictive and
moderately expensive gun laws. The restrictions
mainly targeting the self defense types of
firearms. Hunting is seen as a very necessary,
game management and pest control tool.
So while not exactly free, with 103,000 sq miles
of land, 30% in parks and much more consisting
of privately owned hunting habitat, it's not
such a bad deal.
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