SHOOTING AND FISHING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8148, 4 July 1906, Page 2

SHOOTING AND FISHING.

TO IBE BDITOB. Sin, —While I do not wish to detract from the value of tho work done by the Acclimatisation Society, I must, to a certain extent agree with the views held by your correspondent " True Sport." Whether game is beinp or preserve 1 by the socioty, there remains this fact—that we have in Taranaki a district that has supported, and can still support, pheasants in*um»rnl>lp, and yet the extinction of thes ■ bi-d.i is a matter of only a couple of y. ars. What has the society done in remedy this P It has placed an advertisement (of which nobody takes any notice) in the local newspapers, and at the enermous expense of £45 or more it has proourcd and liberated nine or twelve pheasants. Fancy, £5 for a bird to provide a dinner for an enterprising gunner 1 Then, as for rangers, there are practically none who ate worthy the name, Taming to the other side of the question, what.have sportsmen done? To begin with, there it absolutely no season for the man behind the gun in

j Taranaki. He goes out all the year i s round, ostensibly tor hares, but should , i a phoasant rise anywhere within disi lance, he lets go at it—"just to keep . his eye in." Socondly, he never shoots [ a hawk; and, lastly, he never dis- i i criminates as to the sex of his game. I ( . know of a licensed man who gave a I friend a brace of nice young cock • pheasants, but he took good care to 1 prepare them for the oven before hand- i , ing them over; and I myself have seen s a man (who takes out a license every ; year) with a dead hen pheasant in the i month of January. There is, however, ' ii remedy for this state of affairs, and . that remedy can bo applied only by : the society. I would suggest that • shooting licenses be abolished, and that gun liconses be substituted. This ; would mean that anyone who carries a > gun anywhere but on his own proparty i must have a license for the same, or be 3 fined. This may be contrary to the j law at present, but if so, an amend'nr>nt I to the " Animals Protection Act" c uld > easily be passed by Parliament, eni abling any society to make the change. This would effectually, gtop nny person j shooting game without contributing to i its maintenance. For re-stocking the district, I think c the better plan would be to procure I eggs, and not a few birds. There are j several people, myself for one, who j would gladly find broody hens, rear a i couple of sittings, and liberate the r youngsters when and where the society may think fit. If this is done, and the s few birds that are left are given a 5 c'lance to breed and rear their progeny, f ph sasants would soon be as plentiful as p ever i Whatever the intentions of the 80s cicty may bo, I think it would be well e worth its while to oall a public meeting to discuss and ventilate the matter. At that meeting it might appoiut a few good rangers, for I think the old ones L are like the pheasants—all shot out. Apologising for trespassing on your valuable space, a*d thanking you for the trouble you have taken already in the matter.—l am, etc. • Nemo. e _