Posted on 01/09/2006 1:09:50 PM PST by Fawn
RECREATIONAL hunters using rifles, crossbows and dogs will be allowed to kill feral animals in state forests and on public lands in a controversial trial next month.
Licensed huntsmen will be allowed to hunt feral cats, dogs, deer, goats, pigs and foxes after the State Government approved the two-day trial in four public locations from February 4.
However, a declaration published in the NSW Government Gazette on Friday reveals the four state forests have already been designated as the first official, full-scale hunting grounds.
The proposed order allows hunting for five years in these areas, with hundreds more to follow in March. Natural Resources Minister Ian Macdonald said the full five-year hunting approval was granted to allow the trial to take place, rather than make a special order simply for the two days.
The public has been given 30 days to protest or make comments to the Government about the proposal. Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia already have a similar system, which has proved successful in reducing the impact of pest species.
Mr Macdonald said it was merely coincidental that the publishing of the 30-day period happened to be during the Christmas break, when it was less likely that people would become aware of it.
The NSW Greens oppose the idea, claiming it is dangerous and will reduce public amenities in state forests, which are often visited by families.
Depending on the outcome of the trial, hunting is expected to be broadened to hundreds of other state forests in March.
The trial will involve accredited hunters and NSW Forests managers who will test the management and safety systems being proposed. These include a computerised booking system to track hunters and ensure they are hunting in the right areas, presumably to avoid accidental shootings.
No licensed hunters can enter the land without written permission from the land manager.
Mr Macdonald said the impact of feral animal populations on agricultural industries and the environment cost an estimated $720 million a year nationally.
Hunting will not be allowed in national parks.
Good 'ole AUSSIES!!!
Feral deer and foxes? Are there any other kind of deer and foxes?
What about donkeys and jackasses?
I just relocated a fox last week....he was actually really cute....when they eat, they're very dainty...like cats are.
Yeah....you're right....open season on democrats.
"Feral deer and foxes? Are there any other kind of deer and foxes?"
Neither deer nor foxes are native to Australia. If they're there, they've gotten away from somewhere. That's why they're called feral.
"I just relocated a fox last week....he was actually really cute....when they eat, they're very dainty...like cats are."
I have a friend who used to have a pet fox. He found it, as a baby, near it's mother, which had been killed by a car.
It was a sweet little thing. Very cute, but a little squirrely around strangers. It was very friendly with my friend and his family, but very nervous around anyone else.
Since it was tame, he kept it until it died. A really pretty little beastie.
> Feral deer and foxes? Are there any other kind of deer and foxes?
Presumably they are all introduced species there, like the
rabbits, and this hunting experiment is intended to thin
their ranks.
perfect excuse to buy the crossbow. oh wait, a 2day hunt. why bother, here coyote's and pigs are 11 months out of 12. wish we had more tastier feral.
Yes. They won't be allowed to shoot the deer and foxes living in zoos.
Feral means reintroduced to the wild after domestication. I would think that the circumstance would make them an invasive non-native species, but they were never domesticated. Not that it really matters.
my dictionary (Webster) has 2 defs for feral, yours is the 2nd. The first is def is "undomesticated, living in a wild state"
"What about donkeys and jackasses?"
they are giving the democrats a pass......... this time
that's a loaded title.
My dictionary is the Websters II
1 a) Existing in an untamed state. b) Having returned to an untamed state from domestication.
For the record though, I just asked is there any other kind of deer or fox. Calling them feral is redundant.
On stuff like this, it's really helpful to say WHERE the story is from. There's a lot to this story that doesn't make a lot of sense, as hunting is already allowed and common in state forest land in the US, and "feral cats, dogs, deer, goats, pigs and foxes" seems to be calling for a free for all on both native and non-native animals.
Wild NATIVE game is not commonly referred to as "feral". Perhaps they are species that were brought as game animals in during prior policy that have since gotten out of control. We have some debate here in WA about Mountain goats in the Olympic Mountains. They aren't native, they were imported for sport in the early 1900s.
Deer and fox are not native to New South Wales. Any deer or fox present would have escaped from captivity, making them feral.
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