Sportsmen Mark Stands For Shooting Season

Chronicle (Levin), 3 May 1949, Page 4

Sportsmen Mark Stands For Shooting Season

May, 14 marks the ppening of- the shooting seasbn for d'uck ahd other waterfowi ana aiready sportsmen have begun marki'ng vheir stands •on crowh and private -and. The season for waterfowi is 18 days, but for other game it will extend from May 14 to Juiy 3. . Over 1000 ducks have been banded in the past season by the ranger, Mr. T. Andrews, of the Wellington Acelimatisation Society. Just undei half were grey duck; the rest maL lard. The ranger told a meeting of the council of the society recentiy that the fear thau the mallard would ■cro^s and eventually absorb the grey appeared . " unf ounded. On ' y one grey-mailard hybrid had beer, trapped.. •• Is Limit Too Large? The view that the present limit of 15 birds alloWed duck. shooters was far too large, and was leading to the rapid extermination of fchp grey duck population, was expressed by Mr. Andrews at the annual meeting of the Palmerston • North branch of the society. There was a deflnite danger of the grey duck being lost a together because of its being an easy prey, Mr. Andrews said. Mr. K. Havill contended that al farmers should purchase shooting and fishing licences, inc.uding owners of private sanctuaries and Shooling properties. If a shooter was a licence-holder he would . naturally take steps to . check poaching. Tt was decided to recommend to the Welling.on council that all shooters be "required to take out licences. Mr. Andrews pointed out that a man shooving on his property did not require a licence unclbr the present reguiations.