SHOOTING SEASON APPROACHES.

Shannon News, 26 April 1929, Page 3

SHOOTING SEASON APPROACHES.

DUCKS AND PHEASANTS EXPECTED TO MAKE A GOOD SHOWING.

Spoilsmen will be looking to their guns and shortly to their laurels, for the shooting season opens on Wednesday next. The prospects on the Horo-whenua-Manawatu coast appear to be such as should encourage the taking out of a goodly number of licenses. The indieationr. regarding the supply of ducks are reported to be favourable, and of pheasants there should be sufficient in-the district to give every shooter a chance. Ninety-six pheasants were liberated in'the Levin district about a month ago, and 80 were released between Waikanac and Paekakariki on Monday. To replenish the stock after the season is finished, some fifty or sixty more will be liberated. Good work is being done at the Acclimatisation Society's farm at Parapar aumu, where the curator, Mr E. Trask, has bred close on ax hundred pheasants—a matter requiring a considerable amount of care and patience. CONDITIONS ANJD LIMITATIONS. In the Wellington acclimatisation district, from May Ist to July 30th imported game, comprising cock pheasants, hares, Calif of nian quail and Australian quail,- may be shot, without limit as to number. For native game 'consisting of grey duck, shoveller duck and mallard duck, the season will be from May Ist to June 30th, and there will be a limit of 20 birds per gun per day; of this number five only may be black swans, for which the season this year is restricted to the month of June. A close season has been declared 1 in respect o* pukeko. Birds whieh are now absolutely protected throughout the Wellington acclimatisation district are pakeko, pigeons, paradise ducks and black teal. Shooting, whether of native or. imported game, is permitted only between one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset. DEER AND OPOSSUMS. The deer-stalking season, which will last till May 3.lst, is open only in the sense that \sWooter,s must .pjossess a license. Not many reports as to trophies secured have yet reached the Society's headquarters, as most of the .information comes to hand at the close of the season, when heads are sent to the taxidermists. Among trophies secured in Horowhenua are a 16-pointer brought down by Mr White, of Tokomaru, when stalking in that district; and a 14-pointer obtained at Ohau by Mr Melville, of Levin. The opossum trapping season will probably have the same duration as in previous years—namely, from July 20th to August 31st. These animals have been gradually extending their haunts'; last season 62,000 were taken in the Wellington district and it. is thought that trappers will again have a busy time this year. . The Levin branch of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society met in Mr Bould's rooms on Monday evening, when the following committee was elected for the ensuing year:—Messrs J C Milnes, G. Hinkesman, C. Hobson, J H. Cooper, L. Freeman, W. Watkiiis, and A. Palmer Mr C H. Bould was re-appointed secretary and treasurer, i also representative of the district on .the council of the society