Big game attracts big bucks
Americans setting sights on Kiwi critters brings tourism bonanza, writes Ben Mack.
BIG-GAME trophy hunters from the United States are shooting thousands of Kiwi critters every year, but local hunting guides are upset they’re shut out of the market.
Data from the Humane Society shows Americans killed almost 44,000 animals in New Zealand for trophies between 2005 and 2014 – making us
the sixth-most popular overseas destination for American trophy hunters.
Bruce Collins, tourism manager at Queenstown’s Mt Nicholas Station, said Americans were the third most-common nationality of hunters, after Kiwis and Australians.
He said American trophy hunters were ‘‘a very important money earner’’ for New Zealand’s hunting industry as they could pay US$25,000 ($35,300) ‘‘at the low end’’ per person on a hunting trip to New Zealand.
Many Americans went hunting on fenced properties and estates, Collins said, usually hunting animals like Himalayan tahr and red stag. But some also hunted on public conservation land, though this was less common because the success rate of bagging a large animal like tahr was lower.
Less regulation attracted Americans, he said. ‘‘In New Zealand you can hunt 365 days a year and shoot as many animals as you’d like.’’
New Zealand Game Animal Council (GAC) chairman Don Hammond said there were ZANE MIRFIN concerns over foreign hunters also using foreign guides.
‘‘One of the things people coming from overseas don’t realise is how quickly the weather can change, especially in the mountains,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve got people getting rescued from Tongariro National Park all the time. We get to pay for that as a taxpayer.’’
Hammond said that while guides from the New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association were highly trained in rules, regulations, conditions and health and safety, foreign guides might not be.
He said a recent case where a tourist shot a blue duck – a protected species – could more than likely be blamed on a lack of knowledge.
Poorly-trained guides with limited knowledge could also create a safety hazard and damage New Zealand’s reputation as a safe destination.
‘‘These are very high-value clients. Many of them bring their families, because New Zealand is seen as a very desirable, safe and comfortable destination.’’