Bow hunters in the Illawarra have been warned: make sure you are doing the right thing when you draw back an arrow.
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The fact hunting bows are not regulated when sold, does not mean their use is a free-for-all, experts said.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries on Wednesday launched a new “ethical bow hunting” kit on Crown St in Wollongong.
Bow hunters and sporting archers were reminded of “four cornerstones” of being an ethical bowhunter.
Perhaps most important is these two facts: hunters are not allowed to shoot native animals, and hunting is illegal without explicit permission from the landowner.
In the case of Wollongong and its surrounding suburbs, the landowner is often the state, or National Parks as manager of the escarpment conservation area.
So any hunting in these areas, or on Crown land, must only be done with their permission.
The other two “cornerstones” which were being pushed are to know and follow hunting regulations, and to learn and practice bowhunting techniques so you can properly use what is potentially deadly equipment.
Traditional Archery Australia national secretary Les Simpson said Wollongong was selected as the launch pd for the ethical bow hunting kit because of a spate of illegal bow hunting.
“This area is probably the worst in NSW right now – that’s why the DPI are launching this Stay on Target program here,” he said.
“There is a lot of issues with poaching, the feral deer here, and spreading out from that the police are getting a lot of reports of arrows in people’s front yards, in their cars and so forth.
“We’re all about promoting hunting, but safe bow hunting.”
And the education campaign was the first step –next, enforcement actions will be taken and more illegal hunters could find themselves in court, DPI director of game licensing Dr Andrew Moriarty said.
“Bowhunting is a serious undertaking; buying a bow is like buying a pair of shoes, you can’t just buy them off the shelf and expect them to fit perfectly,” Dr Moriarty said.
“Safe and ethical bowhunters have detailed knowledge of the game they're hunting and are skilled in the use of archery equipment.
“Ongoing reports of illegally hunted native animals, found to have been shot with arrows which should only be used for target practice are concerning.”
And is it popular? The hour or so before the launch was held almost a dozen people walked out of Aussie Disposals with bows in hand, bought as Christmas presents – and just in time to receive the new kit.
For information see www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hunting