Not picking on hunters as a group, but there are armed people out there that will kill things without correctly identifying their targets. Not unusual to read about split hunting groups shooting at each other. People shooting at headlights, thinking they are eyes. And now this - "Critically endangered takahe shot in case of mistaken identity".
It was a Pukeko cull on a sanctuary island. Done successfully in the past. 4 out of 21 birds shot dead this time. Total NZ population is around 300.
Instructions were to shoot birds on the wing, as Takahe are flightless.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/71319211/critically-endangered-takahe-shot-in-case-of-mistaken-identity
http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/5/c/t/9/g/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.16gm97.png/1440062006830.jpg
That's why I tramp in glaring colours.
This post has been edited by the author on 21 August 2015 at 09:01.
yeah its one reason why I wear violently loud colours. I'm oblivious to what a fashion disaster I am.
dunno, I was in the ureweras in the roar, admittedly I was doing a trip which stuck to an open river valley the entire way so I was more visible. there were no shortage of hunters around. lost count of them. I told myself there were pretty long odds of anything happening. having loud coloured clothing gave me more piece of mind.
I always get the jitters when i meet a hunter in the bush.
My son and I had a cup of tea with a family group of 4 hunters one day and the next day one of them shot and killed one of the others.
Sad really.
Another time 2 of us were sleeping beside a 4WD track and we heard, and then saw, a vehicle coming - spotlighting! We jumped up and danced like idiots in the middle of the track - and obviously survived!
Loud colours might not be enough.
Blaze orange can appear reddish brown in a scope which is why you see so much blue camo now
They say identify target but at 50 meters through a scope you are looking at a saucer sized piece of scenery to identify as deer or someones shirt.
Ive been staying in a semi commercial camp ground and been woken up early morning by a loud bang a pig grunting past our tent and another bang. We waited another 10 minutes before getting up slightly unhappy. Wild pork tastes nice though
I've got a high vis yellow rainjacket and a fluoro green fleece :) white baselayers
My favourite ensemble for Spring 2015 is a flouro green jacket with a red fleece vest and lime green polypro top, set off beautifully by blue shorts. And a white hat.
According to a very experienced hunting mate, the best colour to avoid mis-identification is a bright powder blue - similar to what the UN troops use.
additional article
Takahe shooting 'difficult to deal with' - Deerstalkers' Association
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11500760
Aye. Similar ID problems before, which is why they are instructed to shoot the birds in flight, as Takahe are flightless.
Unless they were startled and lept into the air in surprise :O somebody pulled trigger without discernment.
This post has been edited by the author on 21 August 2015 at 15:33.
Here is the 2008 Mana Island incident, which seems to have been the entire reason for the shoot-only-while-flying thing, as well as the use of shotguns instead of rifles. http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/rare-takahe-shot-by-doc-worker-in-mistake-for-pukeko-2008070507#axzz3jOwKkHEH
NZDAs copping lots of flak right now and perhaps deserves it, but I'd like more info. It could have been a lone incompetent person who DOC somehow failed to assess for competence. Or maybe they were never assessed for competence, or reliable procedures, before they were let loose on a nature reserve with a collection of critically endangered birds.
