THE SHOOTING SEASON.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 72, 28 April 1930, Page 2

THE SHOOTING SEASON.

"STIR 'EM UP."

(To tiie Editor.i Sir,— I notice in a recent issue of your paper that th© Acclimatisation Society has redueed the number of gl-ey duck to be shot this season to a total of 15 head per day. Now; sir, this may be all right from the Society's standpoxnt, hut what about the licenseholders Thev have still to pay the usual fee of £l and I think- the least the society can do is to reduce the license to 10s, which they have power to do. I think there will be very littlfc notice taken as regards. the limit of 15 on some of the big private lakes, tvhere larger bags than that allowed by law have been taken and no questibns have been asked. Ever since the limit bdg has been in force' there has never been a prosecution for shooting over the limit, althougli it is common knowledge that bags well over the limit liave been taken in previous seasons and by well-known people. Is the society afraid to offend some df their big friends by sending the rangers to the big lakes and take a tally of the differeut bags ? In other seasons the rattger has been station ed in the local swamps where there is no hope at all of getting anywhere near the limit bag. 1 don't know what the reason for the reduction of the limit bag is, but I think it is time the society took a pull and studied the interegts of the licenseholders a bit mere. When the license fee was first put over on the shooters we were promised all sorts of game, suck as wild geese, hlallard duck, etc., but what have we got to shoot at today — only swan and duck, £(nd not too many at that in a restricted season. Certainly they have reared a few pheasants, but they are only for a certain class. — I am, etc.,

Napier, April 28, 1930.