SPORTING NOTES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 98, 18 April 1914, Page 6

SPORTING NOTES.

(By Eno's.)

Many residents in the back country are now taking a day off and are coming into town to inform the secretary of the Stratford Acclimatisation Society what huge numbers of pheasants and quail and other game are ; swarming in the country. This fact is very pleasing to the Society, inasmuch as it has expended huge sums of money and energy in building the game up to this very desirable point. The position the Society has taken is an admirable one. Every year, large numbers of pheasants have been liberated at the end of the shooting season and have evidently thriven. The farmers, upon whose places the birds have been liberated, have protected them to the best of their ability, and the Society is deeply indebted to them. As notified the other day, the season is an open one for practically everything except Paradise clucks, and native pigeon. Sportsmen can shoot cock pheasants, quail, teal, pukeko, grey duck and black swan. Last sum. mer was evidently a good one from a pheasant breeding point of view. The writer has seen evidences of very many second broods, and vermin are not so prevalent as in former years. Hawks . have been slaughtered in large numbers. The Society buys haAvk and shag legs, and during the past year has purchased about 400 pair.

The selection of the different kinds of game that are to be shot in each district was left practically in the hands of the societies in each district, the Minister in charge of the Department having called upon the societies to make recommendations. ■ Black swan are not particularly mmierous in lthis district, and in respect to them a rather amusing story ; s told of a prominent town sportsman, who went out into the country at the beginning of last shooting season. He .•ose with the lark on the morning of the "first." and, accompanied by tlu .nvner of the farm, proceeded forth. He was fully equipped with dog, gun and cartridge belt and .filled the ey<. with delight. After walking about a mile from the house, the townsman .uddenly' droppec! flat.' His farmer friend, being , a sportsman, dropped too. Then followed a weary crawl for about half a mile, through long grass, 'em, bushes, etc., until. both were thoroughly soaked and.chilled. Th' .farmer afc last whispered to his friend, "What's the matter?" The townsman replied, "Don't make a noise, I saw a black swan just here about three wears ago." Many men would have ijven up swan shooting after that ex perienco, but the sportsman in ones i ion is still seeking tbem. Sportsmen will find that, in the fu-H tages of the season, the pheasants -..•i1l be found mostly in bushy country. ■ s on acocunt of the ripening berries stc.j they have acquired tree habits. This soon wears off them and then the sport will experience the glorious delight of flushing the birds from out of he thistle-clad or turnip-strewn padlocks.

Quail are prevalent literally in millions. These birds*, at the begmuim-->f the season, are in the habit ol eonnegating in mobs, and it is then that •he novice gets his Americaniserl of 15 to 20 at one shot. After havinbeen disturbed a fe\f times, the cunf uing of the birds asserts itself, anc they are generally flushed singly, o 1 in groups of three or four, providiu<> "xcellent shooting for the real sport Teal and grey duck are reported t< ' e numerous on the streams and sheets -if water a little out of town, so that the prospects for the coming season are very bright.