birding-aus

Shooting in NSW NPs

To: "'Peter Shute'" <>, "'Birding Aus'" <>
Subject: Shooting in NSW NPs
From: "Stephen Ambrose" <>
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:04:30 +1100
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



-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Shute  
Sent: Wednesday, 27 February 2013 11:42 AM
To: 'Denise Goodfellow'; 'Stephen Ambrose'; 'Birding Aus'
Subject: Shooting in NSW NPs

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

> -----Original Message-----
> From:  
>  On Behalf Of 
> Denise Goodfellow
> Sent: Wednesday, 27 February 2013 10:32 AM
> To: Stephen Ambrose; Birding Aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Shooting in NSW NPs
> 
> There may also be research from the US on this topic.
> Denise
> 
> 
> On 27/2/13 8:55 AM, "Stephen Ambrose" <> wrote:
> 
> > 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
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: 
> >  On Behalf Of Kim 
> > Sterelny
> > Sent: Tuesday, 26 February 2013 12:06 PM
> > To: Birding-Aus Aus
> > Cc: Canberra Birds
> > Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Shooting in NSW NPs
> > 
> > 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
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
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