Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1947 KEEP OFF....

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 25, 7 May 1947, Page 4

Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1947 KEEP 0FF....

THE outstanding feature of the shooting season 1947 (in the Whakatane district, at any rate) will be not the abundance or otherwise of game, not the availability of ammunition, but rather the rigid stand made by an overwhelming number of property owners to exclude sportsmen from their properties. The advertising columns of the BEACON have never recorded so many trespass warnings. The hundred so listed must exclude shooters from thousands of acres in and around our town. Why . is this? With two flourishing Rod and Gun Clubs operating in the district plus a powerful Rifle Club, it would appear that a greater number of sportsmen than ever must be numbered amongst our residents. But this appears to be far from the case, and in order to throw some light upon the position we have interviewed a number of our advertisers seeking an explanation. We discover that the stand taken by the average farmer dates directly back to the irresponsible shooter, who in the past has been all too active in this district. Men who masquerading under the title of ‘sportsmen’ appear to have assumed temporary ownership of all lands over which they wish to shoot. No permission has been sought; dairy herds have been stampeded; beasts bogged in drains; and in a number of specific instances animals have been shot (accidentally our informants admit) through sheer carelessness and indifference. It is recognised by both sides that the irresponsible element is small, but at the same time landowners claim that they cannot afford to take the risk, and that though in many cases they are keen sportsmen themselves, they have learnt by bitter experience that it is dangerous to allow all and sundry to shoot indiscriminately over their land. That is the case for the majority of the advertisers, and it would be hard to fault in the light of a reasonable counter attitude. The remedy, however should not be hard to supply. Year by year the sporting fraternity is becoming more and more organised. There is likewise a greater sense of true sportsmanship and courtesy. Rod and Gun Clubs throughout the Dominion wield a growing influence over marksmen and the ‘larrikin’ shooter who has caused so much trouble in the past has been largely eliminated. It would not be difficult to work through these clubs, members of which could be issued with a small pocket certificate which would establish at once their bona fides as men who would, readily respect the rights and properties of others and who could be depended on to exercise care where livestock are concerned. This, backed by an indemnity by the club concerned in the event of possible accidents or damage should overcome the main scruples of farmers who today for various reasons appear to dread the advent of each shooting season.