Firearms ban in Picton reserve ditched to tackle feral goat population

In a bid to target the feral goat population in the Essons Valley, a select few hunting permits will be handed out each year. Photo / Supplied / Andy MacDonald / Stuff

Hunting will be allowed in Essons Valley for a select few, as part of efforts to get on top of the feral goat population.

The area, Essons Valley, was to the south of Picton, includes the Waitohi water catchment and at one point just 200m from the nearest residential area.

Marlborough District Council parks officer Kiri Whiteman told the assets and services committee last Tuesday, that the Department of Conservation had approached them earlier this year with the request.

The organisation estimated there was a “moderate” feral goat population in the valley, and lower numbers of feral pigs and deer, and suggested recreational hunting would be a useful control method to bring down numbers.

To hunt, a permit would need to be applied for, with vetting by the Picton Police. This would include the requirement to advise police when hunting.

Permit holders would be required to hunt with a handheld GPS.

They would also need a GPX, which contained a text file with geographic information such as waypoints, tracks, and routes, defining the area they would be permitted to hunt in.

It would ensure a hunter was not too close to a residential area, track, public space or water catchment area.

A maximum of six hunting permits would be issued in any calendar year with a maximum of two people per hunting party.

Blenheim ward councillor Jonathan Rosene questioned whether the 200m boundary was enough.

“Should it be extended out even further?

“I was wondering what the maximum effective range of the .308 [rifle] would be, and it’s only 200m away from a residential area, or a public area. Do we have a big enough buffer down there?”

But Whiteman said DoC actually wanted 100m.

“I’m not sure of the trajectory range of a .308, but I know a .303, to accurately shoot a deer or goat, it’s about 200-250m,” she said.

“I think they can travel further, but as a responsible hunter you’re probably not going to hit your target.”

Following this, Wairau-Awatere councillor Sally Arbuckle also questioned the 200m boundary, suggesting it could be best to push that zone “out a bit further for everybody’s comfort and safety”.

“If there’s a stray bullet, and you’ve got the public ... I’m just wondering if it’s maybe ideal to just stretch that out a bit further?”

But Marlborough Sounds ward councillor Ben Minehan said the “emphasis was on the hunter” and 200m was “more than far enough”.

“To get your firearms licence you have to identify your target,” Minehan said.

“It comes back to the person using the firearm. I believe 200m is more than far enough.”

Meanwhile, Wairau-Awatere councillor Scott Adams said as someone who used firearms day-to-day for business on a farm, he supported the move.

Marlborough Sounds ward councillor Barbara Faulls said she supported the move, and she knew there had been discussions within the Waikawa Residents Association about goats. She thought the wider Picton community would support it too.

“I’m aware that DoC is limited in resources in terms of their own hunters,” Faulls said.

“It seems very well thought through.”

The committee agreed to allow hunting in the Essons Valley, subject to full council approval on August 10.

- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.