PHEASANT LIBERATION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5295, 4 July 1928, Page 4

PHEASANT LIBERATION.

POLICY OF ACCLIMATISATIONENCOURAGEMENT OF BREEDING. In connection with the acclimatisation of pheasants the Auckland Acclimatisation Society has issued the following circular to all sub-societies : “ The time appears, to have come when we must change our polipy of pheasant, liberation. For many years we have been liberating pheasants in the Auckland districts. Until last year 1500 line birds were distributed. These were allotted more or less evenly to some thirty sub-societies. Each subsociety liberates its quota of, say, fifty birds in February or March, and there is an inevitable tendency (though fortunately not a practice) of liberating the birds on farms near to the 'headquarters of the subsociety, where the owners are known to the officials of the sub-society concerned, and the back country is often neglected. The result is that the birds are liberated on small farms and are shot three months later, before they become Wild and cunning, a ; nd before they can breed. “lOn each of such small farms we may assume there are two clogs, three eats, a farmer with a shot gun who does not require to, take out a license, and a boy with a pea rifle, besides the usual quota of hawks, stoats, and weasels. A perusal of the papers show that the use of poisoned wheat is not unknown. A good pheasant shot will get perhaps thirty cock pheasants in a season and by payment of £1 gets £3O in value. This is not business. In consequence we must liberate birds, not for shooting but for breeding purposes oply. “ It is now suggested that the liberation should be more closely controlled by the council. Each subsociety will be asked if it 'has a block of country which fulfills the following requisites:— If An area of larger holdings (preferably adjoining) of not less than 2000 acres-. If a smaller area only is avaiable it would be considered for a smaller allocation. “2. The several owners of this area must apply to the council to have the area gazetted as closed against all shooting, eiven by themselves, for at least two or three years. Upon the restriction being removed the owners of the land should allow any licenseholders who apply for permission to shoot over the area.

“3. The area must have suitable cover and feed, and must be free from rabbits and the consequent poisoning.

“4. The sub-society concerned should be prepared to undertake an active campaign of vermin destruction on the area.

“Upon receipt of particulars of a suitable block from the sub-society the society’s ranger, who is an expert in pheasant preservation', will inspect the block and confirm the subsociety’s report. Then, when the area is gazetted as closed an allocation, large, or small, according to capacity of the block or blocks, will be made to,-the sub-society, and the ranger will personally supervise the liberation. It may happen that some sub-societies who have no suitable pheasant country will receive no allocation at all and a district better suited will receive'a double allocation. “The advantages of this system may be enumerated as follows: Firstly, the society’s birds, say, T'soo per. annum, will be liberated only where they will breed and where they will not be a nuisance to farmers as on smaller holdings. Secondly, the young and virile pheasants breed more prolifically and 1 will have- one or two years in the :wild state for breeding before being disturbed.. The birds will spread from this breeding ground over the whole district, of the subsociety. Both the liberated birds and their'offspring will be wild and cunning before they .are open for shooting. Th'rdly, the ranger, who is an. expert vermin extinguisher, should be able to spare, sav, two days, a year in each sub-society’s district to poison and destroy vermin. Fourthly, the sub-society w' ! ll have greater control in hawk and vermin destruction on the restricted area than it would have over the whole district, and by organised poisoning, trapping, and shooting of hawks by its officials should be able to give the birds every chance tobreed. Both the owners of the area and the officials of the s?ib-society should, as a conditian, of the allocation, promise the council that they, will continually prosecute organised, vermin destruction. Fifthly, when the- shooti.ng is thrown open licenseholders are sure of permission to shoot, and thus trespassing, which the. society will not coinntenance, will be avoided.

“If the sub-societies will join with the society in assisting the propagation of pheasants on the lines indicated the liberation of 1500 birds per annum in, say, three or four years, should give as good shooting as in the good old days.

The matter was fully discussed at the meeting of the council held at To

Aroha last week, and Which was attended by the officials of the Thames, Waihi, Te Aroha, Morrinsville, Paeroa, Patetonga, and Waitemata subsocieties. The new policy, as outlined above, was unanimously approved, with the exception of the condition that the area should eventually be open to all, license-h'oders by the owners. In lieu of this condition it was agreed that each sub-society should have more discretion in this respect, and if satisfied that the owners were people who would not u'se the b'rds for their own private shooting but for breeding generally in the interests of the public, then the council would waive this condition.

“The council will be considering the scheme at the next meeting, on June 14, and it is therefore necssary- that your club should make any recommendations at once. In the event of no adverse report from a club, the council will assume that the proposal is accepted.

“Suitable blocks of land should be selected at once and the consent of the owner to close obtained. Particulars of the property, showing area and title references, should be. forwarded to the secretary as possible, in order to prepare the gazette notices for next seasxon.” On being approached on the matter last Saturday morning the secretary of the Ohinemuri Acclicatisation Club (Mr D. Leach) stated that the local dub was making an endeavour to have the whole of Rbtokohu Valley, including Endean’s estate, p'roclal’med a sanctuary in conformity with the scheme outlined. An inspection of the area, which, comprises approximately 3000 acres, had been, made by ail officer of the Auckland Society, and the opinion had been expressed that as a sanctuary for pheasants the area was equal to anything in the Dominion.