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mehulkamdar
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Indian state to allow hunting
      #88336 - 06/11/07 04:35 PM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/MP_may_allow_hunting_of_wild_animals/articleshow/2520482.cms

MP may sell permits to hunt 'excess' wild animals
6 Nov 2007, 0000 hrs IST,Nitin Sethi,TNN
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NEW DELHI: Next time Salman Khan wants to go on a hunt, Bishnois won't be a problem. The Madhya Pradesh government is finalising a licence scheme for hunting animals which damage crops such as cheetals, blackbucks and wild boars.

Along the lines of trophy hunting that some African countries follow, the state wants to sell permits to hunt down "excess" wild animals that raid crops for food.

The plan goes like this: the government will annually auction off hunting permits which a private agency can purchase or bid for. It can then sell these to allow tourists, wannabe hunters and other enthusiasts to go in for a kill of the selected animals.

The state government believes that population of some of these wild animals has been exploding and the annual crop loss exceeds Rs 100 crore. The money gathered from the auction or selling of the hunting licences, they plan, will be ploughed back into the village level joint forest management committees. This will be used to compensate farmers who lose their crop.

"It shall be done after conducting scientific studies assessing the habitat, populations of the animals and how many such animals are required in the area to breed sustainably," said a senior official from the state. The government will assess the number of animals of each problem species in an area and how many should be culled to maintain a balance between wild populations and crop losses.

The state government proposes a strict set of rules. One cannot hunt from a vehicle or close to a populated area. The animal will have to be of certain age and hunting could be banned in some seasons. One has to be accompanied by trained licenced hunters. MP is keen to even set up schools to train hunters.

"The art of hunting is a dying one, even within the forest department and we don't want just anyone to hunt," an official explained. While the state can, if it wants, allow hunting of many such animals, it would need to get the blackbuck — which too is a major crop depredator — off the Schedule I list of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. This is bound to run into rough weather with the Centre.

Some officials in the Union environment and forestry ministry have their reservations. "This is not a low-population density apartheid hit Africa where you allow trophy hunting. We have low levels of enforcement to begin with and high levels of population living in close proximity with animals," a senior ministry official said.

MP is not the only state that has been suggesting such rules with Punjab and Himachal Pradesh too complaining of increasing crop losses due to wild animals.

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Nakihunter
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Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #88345 - 06/11/07 08:29 PM

That's interesting Mehul. I saw your post ony your Indian site as well! I know for a fact taht there are parts of South India - Tamil Nadu & Karnataka - where special Wild Boar licences are still issued in areas where crops are raided. This is particularly so in sugarcane fields where the powerful sugar lobby can influence policy to some extent.

Having said that, shooting the REAL wild boar is extremely difficult even with spot lights!

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mehulkamdar
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Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: Nakihunter]
      #88376 - 07/11/07 07:47 AM

Nakihunter,

Crop protection permits are issued for boar across India by the DFO in the particular area where there is a problem. That has been allowed after hunting was officially banned in 1982.

Chhatisgarh sold a few licenses for hunting wild boar to non Indians in 2003 for $ 50 each and I think MP is planning to follow that example. FYO you can also get Nilgai permits in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and other states under the same crop protection procedures.

Night hunting is banned in India and there are more than a few who own land and down porkers. It has not been a difficult exercise IMO.

BTW I did not post anything about this particular scheme on any site other than the NE forums. I am not a member of any Indian site anymore and I only post here and occasionally on Accurate Reloading.

Good hunting!

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #88399 - 07/11/07 12:27 PM

"The Madhya Pradesh government is finalising a licence scheme for hunting animals which damage crops such as cheetals, blackbucks and wild boars.

Along the lines of trophy hunting that some African countries follow, the state wants to sell permits to hunt down "excess" wild animals that raid crops for food.

The plan goes like this: the government will annually auction off hunting permits which a private agency can purchase or bid for. It can then sell these to allow tourists, wannabe hunters and other enthusiasts to go in for a kill of the selected animals. "

It sounds like a great possibility for hunting might be returning to India or at least Madhya Pradesh Province.

What game do they mean by "cheetahs", actual cheetahs or ?

Hopefully if this scheme gets up and running, local Indian outfitters are established, the proposed PH scheme gets underway, then other game might eventually follow. Those beautiful chital stags and the huge Indian sambar stags and the striking Blackbuck. Hopefully other species as well.

Maybe even PAC Tiger hunts might be put up for sporting hunters.

Lets see however.

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mehulkamdar
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Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: NitroX]
      #88406 - 07/11/07 12:46 PM

John,

The "cheetah" word is especially confusing to Indians (the Asiatic cheetah is extinct in India though small numbers are believed to exist in parts of Pakistan and Iran) because in Tamil and some other Indian languages, the word for leopard is "siruttai" which sounds like "cheetah" when spoken.

Some states have a major problem with leopards and until recently the only thing that could be done was to either trap and release them or to have military officers who are specially licensed shoot rogue animals. My feeling is that the states have now decided to follow the African example to make money and promote hunting and conservation though it is not going to be easy. India has had PETA members as Cabinet Ministers in the Central (Federal) government and there is vehement opposition to hunting in the country even among target shooting groups.

In any case, I personally hope that sense would prevail. The Indian government needs to know that there is no way that the country's wildlife would be preserved until they work out an economic value for it and protect it and realise returns from it as an investment. Let's see how this goes...

Good hunting!

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Nakihunter
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Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #88418 - 07/11/07 03:14 PM

I just thought that I would rekindle an old debate.

There is an opinion that the Cheetah was never a native wild animal in India and that the Moghul Emperors introduced it from Persia in the 1400s or a bit earlier.

Indian art & architecture has icons of lions, tigers & leopards that are are 2000 to 5000 years old. But such art icons of cheetahs start only form the 13th century or so. I tried to get some background information on this debate a few years ago but failed to do so.

Introducing non-native species is almost as old as human civilization. The Romans introduced the Fallow deer into Britain 2300 years ago. Several Indian kings introduced Chittal deer as it is so beautiful. Sariska sanctuary has litterlly 1000's of Chittal & yet they were introduced by the local king within the last 100 years.

The problem with regulated hunting in India is the fragmented nature of the forest areas. It is rare to find contiguous wide spread forests without any villages in the middle & so it is impossible to control the boundaries.

No harm dreaming.

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mehulkamdar
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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: Nakihunter]
      #88422 - 07/11/07 03:40 PM

Quote:



The problem with regulated hunting in India is the fragmented nature of the forest areas. It is rare to find contiguous wide spread forests without any villages in the middle & so it is impossible to control the boundaries.

No harm dreaming.



Complete bullshit like the earlier comment about hunting boar being "difficult." Yes, it might be for some, I know many who enjoy the sport immensely, and whose skills are significantly better than those of a self confessed, inept night hunter.

In the South Indian Shola in the Palani Hills ranges are short and most boar are shot with shotguns loaded with ball when the rains start and they come to eat rotten fruit under the trees. There are similar hunts in Coorg and possibly in Maharashtra. In Punjab and Haryana where the terrain is more undulating but where farms tend to be much larger than the South dogs or beaters are used, mostly with rifles.

Congestion - a real problem in some parts - only means that the terrain is ideal for MLs or for rifled shotguns. If this could be done in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana there is no reason why it cannot be done in India. There have been studies performed by the Indian Forests and Fisheries Services on this subject that are posted at Indians For Guns and which I shall get permission to post here. Suffice it to say that the expertise of those who conducted those studies is vastly more respectable than that of a non entity with little to show.

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Farhan
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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #88429 - 07/11/07 05:17 PM

Cheath was really a wild animal in india .Still some population exist in iranian blouchistan.We conducted a survey for this and you can find the report in this link

http://www.felidae.org/PROJECTS/Asiatic_Cheetah/Baloch_Cheetah_Survey_1/baloch_cheetah_survey_1.htm
http://www.felidae.org/PROJECTS/Asiatic_..._report_pt_.htm

Edited by Farhan (26/11/07 04:49 PM)

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iqbal
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Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #88451 - 08/11/07 12:59 AM

Mehul as far as I know or have heard the Cheetah in India or Pakistan is actually the leopard.It is so called because of the spots like in cheetal.The word cheetah means 'SPOTS'.The cheetah that we see in Africa is a different breed and may have been found in India/Pakistan many years ago i.e. before ours or even Jim Corbetts days.The leopard was also referred to as 'GUL BADAN' by some.

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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #88457 - 08/11/07 03:44 AM

Quote:

Quote:



The problem with regulated hunting in India is the fragmented nature of the forest areas. It is rare to find contiguous wide spread forests without any villages in the middle & so it is impossible to control the boundaries.

No harm dreaming.



snipped ...

In the South Indian Shola in the Palani Hills ranges are short and most boar are shot with shotguns loaded with ball when the rains start and they come to eat rotten fruit under the trees. There are similar hunts in Coorg and possibly in Maharashtra. In Punjab and Haryana where the terrain is more undulating but where farms tend to be much larger than the South dogs or beaters are used, mostly with rifles.

Congestion - a real problem in some parts - only means that the terrain is ideal for MLs or for rifled shotguns. If this could be done in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana there is no reason why it cannot be done in India. There have been studies performed by the Indian Forests and Fisheries Services on this subject that are posted at Indians For Guns and which I shall get permission to post here. Suffice it to say that the expertise of those who conducted those studies is vastly more respectable than that of a non entity with little to show.



Your country is very populated but I certainly saw areas (outside of the parks) where hunting would be possible with appropriate attention to safety. Especially in more mountainous country where the backdrop is more safe.

And as you say, using heavy shot in shotguns would be reasonably safe in flatter country.

Please see if you can post the information you refer to. Thanks.

It would be wonderful to see Indian citizens with a sporting hunting drive being able to hunt legally in their own country again.

--------------------
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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: Nakihunter]
      #88458 - 08/11/07 03:46 AM

Quote:

Several Indian kings introduced Chittal deer as it is so beautiful. Sariska sanctuary has litterlly 1000's of Chittal & yet they were introduced by the local king within the last 100 years.



Where were the Chital introduced from?

And if they are an introduced species, surely a managed cull of an excess would not be inappropriate???

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Nakihunter
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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: NitroX]
      #88478 - 08/11/07 08:41 AM

Let me try & address the various issues here.

1 I mentioned the debate about the Cheetah (the cat) possibly being introduced by Moghul kings in the 12th or 13th century for hunting Black Buck etc. There are some historical paintings of the Cheetah but none that I know of before the 12th Century. There are historical records of lions, tigers & leopards from 5000 years ago.
2 The Chital (the deer) is native to India & Sri Lank. These animals inhabited mostly desiduous forests with grass clearings up to about 4000 feet elevation. (The reference book "Mammals of India by SH Prater" is a classic that includes information from the early 19th century. I also have personal copies of Sanderson (1880s)& Dunbar Brander (1910) which are collectors' items.) My point is that the deer were introduced into new habitat that was not their original home by some kings. Sariska sanctuary is one good example - the Maharaja introduced chital deer into this hunting preserve about 100 years ago.
3 Hunting in India is a very complex issue. My dad was in the Forestry & wildlife department since 1946 & retired in 1983. He was once Chief wildlife warden of Tamil Nadu state. I had the opportunity to travel widely to various forest reserves, sanctuaries & national parks since the late 1950's. The population density is so high & encroachment of habitat is so severe that the total forest area is now only about 10% of total land area, including the himalayas. In the peninsular regions this is much less. Even in remote areas like Mundanthurai sanctuary, Mudumalai sanctuary, Annamalai (Indira Gandhi) national park etc. the proximity of villages, major roads, exposure to cattle borne diseases, etc. are a major issue. Poaching is still common. In some areas the villagers tap high voltage lines & electrocute crop raiding animals including elephants. I would love to see legalised & controlled hunting being introduced in India again. I am just pesimistic that controlling the hunting effectively is impossible as the various government agencies do not have the resources or skills. The cost of effectively controlling the legal hunting would be prohibitive. Illegal poaching would become a lot worse becasue of the informal networks of political patronage which would protect such perpetrators. For example the Nawab of Pataudi (former Indian cricket captain) was arested a few years ago with a shotgun, rifle, black buck carcass etc. in his car. Even though the offfence is a non-bailable one (for killing a protected animal), the case is still in court & he is free. I believel that the case will ultimately come to nothing or one of his servants will get a minor conviction! Check these sites or Google "Pataudi+poaching". http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGLJ_enNZ222NZ237&q=Pataudi%2Bpoaching&meta=

4 It is so difficult to get ammunition legally in most parts of India. Again, you need the right contacts.

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mehulkamdar
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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: Nakihunter]
      #88617 - 10/11/07 05:40 AM

The report on Hunting in Madhya Pradesh that I alluded to was prepared by the recently retired Chief Conservator of Forests there, Dr H S Pabla, in association with scientists in South Africa and the USA. The study was supported by WWF and I am awaiting permission to post it here. I do hope to get it.

The whole populated areas argument is BS. If poachers can shoot game without injuring people in the area, so can well trained hunters. India DOES allow the import of ammunition - anyone who has a minimum qualifying score for ISSF competition is allowed to import 15000 rounds of ammunition of any kind a year under current rules. Also the import of Muzzleloaders is permitted as is upto 50 rounds of ammunition per trip abroad by those who hold gun licenses and do not qualify for ISSF competition.

There is a long list of gun shops on more than one Indian forum and the NRAI also sells imported ammunition in non match calibres like 30-06, 7x57 and 8x57 from time to time to its members.

It is often a habit for Indian expats to spout off on subjects that they know bloody little about, stuck as they often are in a time warp going back to India's socialist years with the added desire of trying to look like brown sahibs long after the Raj and the socialist years in Indian government ended. Keep on at it - we do need to have something to laugh at from time to time in between discussing more serious matters.

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Nakihunter
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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #88629 - 10/11/07 08:27 AM

Opinions are free but passing judgement has its embarassing consequences at times! To each his own!

If Indian wildlife adminstration is so capable of managing controlled hunting, then how come every single one of about 30 tigers has been wiped out of Sariska sanctuary in the last 7 years? If we can not control an endangered species in a popular sanctuary with high levels of funding, what hope is there for other species in remote areas with little resorce or funding.

India is a huge sub-continent & you do get small pockets of "private paradise" which are the personal fifedom of the very wealthy & influential who are in an even older time warp. I wonder how many new members get into these eletist shooting clubs & get access to imported ammunition. For those of us who are commited to the values of a modern egalitarian society, beat shooting is not affordable if a fair wage is to be paid to the beaters. I wonder what kind of footware or clothing those beaters wear. "Safe hunting by trained hunters" is an oxymoron in that environment. There are no records kept of hunting accidents, how many poachers shoot each other, etc. Covering up political murders is the norm. So what's the big deal about covering up the accidental death of a poor villager shot by the "not so brown Saheb" in a beat shoot! This environment is not today's free trade India or even socialist India in a 20 year time warp. This is feudal India in an older time warp going back a 100 years where a very very few powerful & wealthy people enjoyed hunting exclusively.

I would like to stick to the pleasurable & relaxing exercise of exchanging opinions in such a forum as this and hunt in dense bush for 3 or 4 days while walking 10 miles or more in steep hills & valleys.

Vanakkam

Ashok

PS

Mehul, I am still awaiting your replies to two of my emails. I wonder if you knew me in Madras Christian College. You do have me intriged!!

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mehulkamdar
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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: Nakihunter]
      #88882 - 13/11/07 12:19 PM

Ashok,

Once again, let me be clear - there is a paper from the GoI and I am posting the link separately. The answers to most of the points that you raise are there. As far as opinions are concerned, there's the old saying that everyone has one... I am mroe concerned with concrete and verifiable facts here.

No, I don't recall knowing you at MCC - I was a student of Literature and was associated with Heber Hall. I didn't get any e-mails from you. Had I got them, I would have replied. Did your mails bounce back?

Good hunting!

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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: Nakihunter]
      #88904 - 13/11/07 06:15 PM

Quote:

If Indian wildlife adminstration is so capable of managing controlled hunting, then how come every single one of about 30 tigers has been wiped out of Sariska sanctuary in the last 7 years? If we can not control an endangered species in a popular sanctuary with high levels of funding, what hope is there for other species in remote areas with little resorce or funding.

India is a huge sub-continent & you do get small pockets of "private paradise" which are the personal fifedom of the very wealthy & influential who are in an even older time warp. I wonder how many new members get into these eletist shooting clubs & get access to imported ammunition. For those of us who are commited to the values of a modern egalitarian society, beat shooting is not affordable if a fair wage is to be paid to the beaters. I wonder what kind of footware or clothing those beaters wear. "Safe hunting by trained hunters" is an oxymoron in that environment. There are no records kept of hunting accidents, how many poachers shoot each other, etc. Covering up political murders is the norm. So what's the big deal about covering up the accidental death of a poor villager shot by the "not so brown Saheb" in a beat shoot! This environment is not today's free trade India or even socialist India in a 20 year time warp. This is feudal India in an older time warp going back a 100 years where a very very few powerful & wealthy people enjoyed hunting exclusively.



It is important to look to the future rather than dwell in the past.

If most other countries in the world are Indians any different and lesser in capabilities? I think not, but attitudes may need to change. Whatever they are doing there now does not seem to work too well, especially if viewed in how it will turn out, say in 50 years.

Quote:

Covering up political murders is the norm.



What has this to do with hunting?!

Quote:

very very few powerful & wealthy people enjoyed hunting exclusively.



Again that is the past. A sensible approach would be to combine high priced safaris with a lottery or ballot type system for local hunters. The rich domestic hunters and foreign clients can earn big dollars for local conservation efforts and establish a foreign exchange earning service industry with lots of employment for locals. The ballot system would allow less well off residents to access some hunting.

The main cause of loss of wildlife has been the massive growth in the population only the last fifty years, and also loss of wildlife habitat as a result.

A successful sport safari industry provides wildlife with economic value, and as a result economically makes them more viable for conservation efforts. Plus provides poachers with jobs and income from protecting them, not poaching them.


--------------------
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"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
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Nakihunter
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Re: Indian - Was the Cheetah really a wild animal in India? [Re: NitroX]
      #88938 - 14/11/07 08:03 AM

John

9threeXfify7's post on the other thread about hunting in India is a spot-on assessment.

I started this subject by saying that nothing would please me more than seeing leagal hunting return to India. I am looking forward when I question today's lack of skill base, political will & a well integrated administrative infrastructure as well as the prevailing nepotism & corruption.

Regarding My Quote: Covering up political murders is the norm.
& Your Quote: What has this to do with hunting?!

Please see the two sentances after my quote above. That comment was made to highlight that there is no record or control on accidental shootings in India & so there is no culture of safe & responsible hunting. Any such incident is easily covered up by the rich & powerful.

Yes it would be great to hunt Nilgai, Chittal, Black buck, wild boar, Muntjack (I have shot Muntjack & my best was 4.5inch & would be a good trophy by today's standards in the UK). Sambar hunting would be incredible as they grow antlers in excess of 40 inches in parts of central India. I have seen the odd 40 incher in the Kodaikanal hills of south India & know of a couple of mounts from the early 70's. The record is over 54 inches!

Jungle fowl hunting is also amazing! The neck hackle feathers of the Grey Jungle fowl are a nice trophy. I used to give them to guests as a gift! I have also hunted Green Pigeon in Assam - flocks of a hundred birds or more fly to the ficus & other fruit trees in September. So also duck & goose hunting in Assam.

Great site for some good debates.

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9.3x57
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Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #92113 - 20/12/07 06:15 AM

As a total outsider who is fascinated with the idea of legalised sport hunting in India, I find Mehul and Naki's "opposing" views highly thought-provoking.

Per the issue of density of population itself being a stop to safe hunting, I can point to New Jersey, where the population density for the entire state is approximately 1000 per square mile {almost 8 million people living in just shy of 8,000 square miles.} I grew up there and hunted small game there. Hunting accidents were and are rare. I now live in Idaho, a state of approximately 10 times the size of NJ {86,000 sq miles} with a total population of about 1,5 million.

Now, heres the punchline...

I have read that every year, New Jersey hunters shoot more deer than Idaho hunters do. Population density does not necessarily mean poor hunting. The mere fact of high population density is not an insurmountable obstacle to safe and productive hunting. Hunting in densely-populated Germany is another good example. Thus, in spite of the population density {which IS a challenge to overcome}, it CAN be said that overall, the culture and laws of New Jersey provide for sustainable-yield hunting in a safe environment.

But DOES India have the political will to establish a culture and system of management that would appeal to foreign hunters or is the goal only to appeal to relatively wealthy Indian nationals? I suspect there are many people of means in the USA and Europe that would beat the door down to get a chance to hunt in India, but only a quality hunt will bring them back for more.

Summing up, I am trying my best to understand this fascinating discussion:

I think I am hearing that Mehul believes there are technical solutions {new laws, game management regulations, etc} to the problem of reintroducing hunting to India and he is optimistic that these changes can be implemented.

But Naki's response is that while the technical solutions may APPEAR to solve the problems and might be able to be implemeted, the REAL problems {cultural, bureaucratic, etc} would be/are virtually insurmountable.

Is that about right?

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Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: 9.3x57]
      #92137 - 20/12/07 10:43 AM

9,3X57 - your analytical & objective intellect is impressive.

The population density issue needs to be seen in the context of rural population. India has a population of 1.1 billion people give or take a few million! 70% of this population is rural or semi rural - that is the BIG difference. You get samll villages everywhere. I have seen them at 12,000 feet in the Himalayas and tribal villages deep inside National parks & Sanctuaries. The government used to arbitrarily relocate such villages until around 20 years ago. The rights of such tribal people are getting more recognition & it is not easy to relocate villages out of forest areas any more.

When I managed a Tea Plantation in the early 1980's - the property was about 2000 acres of tea and another 1000 acres of nursery, roads, housing, fallow / swamp land etc. We had over 2000 workers in peak season. They lived in Labour "Lines" which are small villages with in the property - we had 4 or 5 such villages with in the property of 3000 acres. There were several more, larger villages outside the property. Yes, I shot green pigeon & other small game on the property. However, I would not wish to use a 22 or a centre fire in such circumstances. The chances of a worker grazing a cow or collecting friewood is very high. Kids could be playing around.

In forest areas, the issues is different - the population density is lower but the random movement of people is much higher. Villagers move deep into the forest (illegally or legally) to graze cattle & sheep (with permits) or collect honey & cut wood (without permits). I still shudder at the thought of an incident in the mid 1980s - I was on a night shoot for pig & hare in a very remote area with a river boundary between two states. A companion fired a shot but the ammo was a dud. He then screemed at some one & started swearing - suddenly two guys stood up from the "nullah" & popped their heads out from a blanket. They were poaching timber & had hidden in the "nullah" when they heard us. One of them would have been dead if not for the dud ammo! The companion was an idiot of course for shooting at a target that he had not clearly identified - that is another story....

The social environment in such places is still very feudal - local officials and politicians rule like autocratic "barons". The rural people are not very educated - few people near such forest areas would have done more than 5 years of schooling. (This is changing & varies from region to region). Ownership of land is fragmented. Individuals can not own more than about 50 acres of un irrigated land (corn, sorgum etc) or 25 acres of irrigated land (rice paddies etc.). The rules on plantation crops such as Rubber or tea may vary but small private holding are still very fragmented. Family / company holdings are larger but still not huge like in the US or Canada. The 3000 acre Tea Plantation I worked on is a huge property in that context & the Multinational company owned 13 such prperties (ranging up to 5000 acres) in the 2 districts. This was in a VERY remote region that was 30 to 100 miles from the Burma border & it was closer to Laos & Cambodia than to Calcutta!

I truely hope I am wrong & legal hunting can return to India.

--------------------
Always shoot through the target & not just at it.

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JabaliHunter
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Reged: 16/05/07
Posts: 1958
Loc: England
Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: Nakihunter]
      #92201 - 20/12/07 10:52 PM

Well whatever the pros and cons, the prospect of being able to hunt in India is exciting. I hope that those proposing the idea get suitable support from the international sport hunting lobby and don't get swamped by the anti-hunting so-called conservationists

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Ripp
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Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: NitroX]
      #92218 - 21/12/07 12:12 AM

THere is an article on this subject as well in this months SPORTS AFIELD magazine--

Describes basically what has been said in this site--interesting read

Ripp

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..

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gpsb
.275 member


Reged: 17/03/08
Posts: 65
Loc: NJ
Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: Ripp]
      #99517 - 18/03/08 02:23 PM

Hello Everyone,

Just a few thoughts:

1. Wild boars do destroy huge tracts of crop laden fields every year in northern states of India including Haryana, HP, Punjab & Rajasthan etc. Hunting wild boar has been a popular sport but is not anymore in India due to the strict laws prohibiting any such activity. Pig-sticking was prevalent during Raj days and the wild boar meat was a delicacy amongst the elite. From the stories told by hunters in India Wild boar hunting done the right way on equal turf is a very exciting sport.

2. Cheetah : Asiatic Cheetah is a species from Asia and northern africa and not introduced in the country. Its range extended from plains of india to some countries in Northern Africa (Iran is Asiatic Cheetah's last stronghold where they still exist in the wild, although in dwindling numbers). Cheetah is a derivation of a sanskrit word meaning Chitraka meaning "speckled". Although it has been confused with leopard as both the cats are spotted. Very difficult for the untrained eye to differentiate between the two and hence both the cats are known by the name of "Cheetah" among common masses of India.

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mehulkamdar
.416 member


Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.
Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: gpsb]
      #99925 - 22/03/08 03:10 AM

Gikki,

Hunting has been banned in India since 1976 but land owners can shoot boar and other vermin on crop protection permits issued by the Divisional Forest Officer in their area. Now some states allow the shooting (hunting for all practical purposes) of Nilgai as well.

ABout two years ago, Jharkhand sold hunting licenses for wild boar to non Indian citizens for the first time since the 1976 hunting ban. Hence the interest in this new proposal.

BTW did you pick a new rifle up as you were planning to? Do call when you can or let me know and I'll call when you're free.

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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gpsb
.275 member


Reged: 17/03/08
Posts: 65
Loc: NJ
Re: Indian state to allow hunting [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #100265 - 25/03/08 03:03 PM

Hi Mehul,

No man didnt pick up any rifle yet, double minded and not sure which one to get yet, I have looked at all the options you have told me regarding Rugers, CZ's, and Charles Daly from Brian, I think I will see all of these before finally pulling the trigger on my one all time hunting rifle. I am meeting Navdeep this weekend as we have plans on going to a shoot and will discuss with them as well. I will keep you posted with whatever I get and will talk to you before making a final decission. thanks for all the help.

Gikki

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