No support for hunters

IN my opinion, the NT Firearms Council does not support waterfowl hunters.

They have issued a letter of support for the 2020-30 Magpie Goose Management Program (MGMP) and the threegoose bag limit this hunting season.

This letter of support doesn’t question why hunters from the general public must contribute up to $75,000 for a small share of the 40,000 birds they hunt while the commercial permits are free for a harvest of up to 30,000 geese by what could be a single permit holder.

The products of those 30,000 birds have recently been marketed for $90 per kilogram. It is not hard to see a large profit margin without any contribution directed back that could protect habitat that supports magpie geese.

But the authorities don’t even have a point-of-sale monitoring program at legitimate sales outlets and due to that has the potential to unlock a vast black market in magpie goose products.

They are supporting a management plan that is extremely light on habitat protection through weed control in wetlands that support all waterbirds, not only the ones on the game list, but happily wields a big stick against hunters’ bag limits if the goose population drops below 1,250,000 birds to five then to three when it drops below 1,000,000.

These trigger points are ridiculous when you consider the goose population rebounded from 725,000 to 1,480,000 in only two poor wet seasons.

This is the action from a group that should contain itself to firearms issues rather than hunting.

As an example, the delegate for the NT branch of the Australian Deer Association has more sway than NT Field and Game that has been advocating for habitat improvement and put boots on the ground doing through weed control since 2009 and litter control since 2001.

In my opinion this treatment has a long history stemming back to the acceptance of NT Field and Game into the council and the subsequent attempt to bar NTFGA two years later.

Recently the council had invited the author of the MGMP, Tim Clancy, to a question-and-answer session in front of delegates from all the council members.

Those delegates were asked to provide questions to the forum.

Nathan Vale, the Independent Shooters’ delegate sent these questions by a shooter in the community for consideration by Dr Clancy.

Were there any recommendations or feedback from the previous management plan, and, have any of those recommendations been adopted or changed to suit the current plan that is on the table?

There is always lots of emphasis on the back end of the population. That is the harvested end of the breeding cycle.

The plan seems very light on in regard to the habitat of the bird. What is being done to protect that habitat? Feral dogs, feral cats, pigs, buffalo, gamba grass, olive hymenachne and mimosa among other things?

All of these pests are creating an adverse effect on all species that compete for the same habitat as the goose.

Where did the 500k birds go from the previous population estimate?

What real research has been done to study the dispersion of the bird?

What are the combined Indigenous harvest totals compared with previous years? These are legitimate questions, but Mr Vale was barred from asking them.

Nominate as a delegate of your organisation as the election of the NT Firearms Council Board and delegates is November 24 with nominations closing on November 22.

Maybe from within you can help to change this situation.