I'll also agree with @madpom. The "identify your target" line has been stated and re-stated for a long time now. I'm sure it's useful as basic training of firearm use is concerned, but there's also recurring evidence that shooters can be certain they've been through all steps and identified their target, yet went ahead anyway, right down to some very experienced people failing to identify their targets.
It's still possible to blame and hold these people responsible for the mistake, but continuing to blame doesn't end up solving the problem, even if others have absolutely no conscious intent of making the same mistake. Without some other resolution, maybe as @madpom's suggesting, I think we need to accept that with so many people out there wielding loaded weapons, a certain portion of them *will* make mistakes, some with serious consequences, for the same reasons people make mistakes tramping (which is why it's not a bad idea to have lots of safety redundancy when tramping).
This Takahe thing might still have a different explanation than simply bad target identification. It could also include bad organisation, or inadequate briefing for everyone taking part. The fact that 12 NZDA people present can't seem to narrow down who was in the vicinity or pinpoint the person or people who must have shot them seems to suggest there are things that could definitely have been done better before any of this went wrong. I'm sure we'll find out more in time.
This post has been edited by the author on 22 August 2015 at 13:16.
and the fact they didnt identify takahe had been shot for some time after the operation ... shows little adequate supervision or auditing of the operation
"The fact that 12 NZDA people present can't seem to narrow down who was in the vicinity or pinpoint the person or people who must have shot them"
Can't...or don't want to?
@izogi
"right down to some very experienced people failing to identify their targets. "
And on reflection there is the key difference between an amateur and a professional. My pest control mate was being paid to be out there, night after night. His attitude was 'if I don't get it tonight it doesn't matter much, because I'll be back tomorrow/next week anyway'. He felt no pressure to squeeze the trigger.
By contrast most hunters are on a time-frame. If they miss this shot, they may have blown their last chance for the season. Of course their brains play tricks on them.
it should be possible to put people applying for a firearms licence through a decent video or computer simulation where they have to try and correctly identify prey from non prey.
training needs to be stepped up to at least reduce the chance of novices making a mistake.
might work but what works in a class room under no pressure doesnt alway carry over to the real world
yup, but they have to change the training, and i think it would be an improvement on what they have at present,
just having a mantra "identify your target" isnt working.
people just have to regurgitate it in a written test, how much use is a written test to qualify for a field activity?
Yes I guess there'd certainly be a difference between amateurs and professionals, maybe also depending on things like contract details. Note that professionals can still make mistakes. That's how the earlier Takahe was shot in 2008.
This post has been edited by the author on 23 August 2015 at 07:32.
"people just have to regurgitate it in a written test, how much use is a written test to qualify for a field activity?"
Isnt that pretty much how the whole nzqa sytem works.
There is nothing in the firearms licence rules to stop someone with no arms passing although the policeman might question why they want a license to use something they cant even pick up. Of course though the licence is really to make sure your not mad and likely to run round killing people. For someone that only shoots at a range its more than enough. Even duckshooters that only ever shoot at things in the sky are covered by this.
Maybe the likes of Deerstalkers could introduce there own qualification that does all the identification stuff in a real setting and you have to have this qualification as well as a permit to get a Doc hunting permit.
Deerstalkers would say "we do this already to new members why do we need to make it nzqa" and those outside deerstalkers would say " why should we have to join just for this qualification that we didnt need before. The deerstalkers just bought this in to make money"
For this to work it would need to be an expiring permit so you have to resit say every 5 years.
You could say health and safety gone mad but people are dieing and incorrect animals are being shot so there is a problem. How many of your work health and safety qualifications have to be resat regularly? How often do you have to renew your drivers licence.
Why wernt duckshooters doing this cull.
I dont hold any firearms licence so this can be considered random thoughts
i'm guessing there were better preexisting connections between the deer stalkers or someone in the deer stalkers than in the game shooters
