Southern Lakes Deerstalkers Association is opposing plans by the Department of Conservation (Doc) to allow heli-hunters to operate this season without concession permits.
Doc has invited feedback on its new concession process for heli-hunting for Himalayan tahr and chamois on public conservation land in the South Island.
Submissions closed on the proposals on Friday.
Heli-hunters had until January 15 to apply for a concession, but the applications would not be decided until July.
"This process will not be completed before the new heli-hunting season commences, so the department will allow the activity during the period from February 19, 2010 until the applications are decided," Doc's website says.
Queenstown deerstalker Shaun Moloney said Doc would effectively be allowing unlimited helicopter access to areas of public conservation land around Queenstown and Wanaka.
"It's an unsustainable harvest of trophy animals like chamois and tahr. We're hoping to persuade the department to outlaw heli-hunting, rather than permit it," he said.
He said the association would be lobbying Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson to show its "growing unease" about heli-hunting and how Doc was allowing it to happen.
Canterbury Conservator Mike Cuddihy said 16 heli-hunting applications had been received by the department.
They would be publicly notified by early March.
The public could submit their views and be heard at a hearing as part of the normal concessions process.
However, heli-hunters with complete applications lodged would be allowed to operate for the 2010 season while their applications were being processed.
Any operator who had not lodged a complete application would not be allowed to operate.
The activity would be restricted to agreed areas, under 11 proposed conditions, including avoiding huts, tracks, campsites and hunting parties on the ground and liaising with heli-ski operators.
He said the deerstalker association's concerns were "an issue".
"We are allowing access to areas heli-hunting operators have applied for. The reason why that has been done is because the independent operators have, for some time, operated correctly under an old concession," he said.
"Pieces of land precisely mapped" around Wanaka and Queenstown had been applied for, he said.
A letter to helicopter operators from Doc says land without National Park or Conservation Act general policy, Conservation Management Strategy or management plan constraints is available for heli-hunting application and consideration through the concessions process.
The letter to operators also says some land within national parks was identified as important to heli-hunting, but is not open for application.
"The department has, therefore, undertaken to consider amending the relevant management plans where there is a good case to do so.
The first to be considered is the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park Management Plan."
Submissions on the proposal to allow heli-hunting within parts of the Murchison, and possibly Godley, valleys closed on February 1.
The department will consider submissions and consult the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board, before deciding whether to seek an amendment to the plan this month.
