THE SHOOTING SEASON.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1738, 1 May 1913, Page 9

THE SHOOTING SEASON.

(By Telegraph—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, April 30. The shooting season in the Auckland district cpens to-morrow. Reports which have been received from the various game haunts indicate that the sport will be good, and birds of all descriptions are said to be in good condition. Cock pheasants, Californian and Australian quail, grey duck, spoonbill duck, teal, pukeko, and black swan are all reported to bo plentiful in tho well-known haunts. The long spell of dry weather has practically dried the Whangamarinio and other swamps, so that the duck and teal have betaken themselves to the lakes and to the Waikato Kiver where they are said to be very thick. Between Mercer and the Heads the grey duck is abundant, and the various islands and sand banks being well covered above Mercer where teal havo congregated. Lakes Waikaro and Whangapo, both of which are lower than thoy have been for years, aro exceedingly well stocked though the latecomer will find that the best places havo been staked. On the other hand the prospects of tho shooting season in tho Whangarei County can only bo described as fair, and' the most striking feature is the uneven distribution of the game. Naturally pheasants claim the chief attention of sportsmen, but in 'somo of the out-districts, these birds liave been practically exterminated by tho big fires that spread over the country during the summer months. The mortality was then extremely heavy among tho young birds which, when threatened by tho fire, hid in the fern, and made no attempt to escape.