Over in New Zealand you may have heard a rumor that the use of helicopters while hunting has been banned. According Mike Hodder, president of the New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association (NZPHGA), that is not correct, although the practice currently is under much scrutiny. Hodder says that the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) has been closely monitoring the use of choppers by hunting guides with their clients for some months now. The DOC took one company to court recently, but the case was dismissed because no actual law had apparently been broken, even though the actual hunt did not comply with various regulations governing the helicopter industry. “At this point there is much confusion as to what is and what is not legal,” says Hodder.
In a proactive effort to resolve the issue, the NZPHGA has called a special general meeting of its membership for early October to hammer out clear rules, ethics and regulations under which chopper-assisted hunting with clients may be undertaken. Hodder says they have even invited the DOC to attend and inform the group of the legal aspects involved.....
