DUCK SHOOTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 109, 11 May 1933, Page 22

DUCK SHOOTING.

I thank "Tahuna Farm" for his candid opinions of myself, although I 6ur " mise his remarks in this respect will not be very interesting to your readers. The points at issue are: —The society has been accused of neglect: (a) Aot legalising "genuine" stands; _ (b) not preventing "all night" shooting; (c) failure to enforce bag limits; and finally, the statement is _ made that there "is less poaching this year than last." On each license the "stand regulations are clearly set down. Briefly, they are: "Stands may be marked after noon on April 8, 1933, with name of claimant and license number. No peison may shoot within 100 yards of such stand without the occupier's consent.' This should be sufficient answer to those who abuse the Auckland Acclimatisation I Society for not protecting "genuine stands. Your correspondent would have shown himself to better advantage if he had concerned himself, not so much with my "ignorance" as with a demonstration of his own knowledge. Will he tell us how men could see to shoot ciacks all night on May 1? That night I slept out under a tarpaulin on the edge of the Whangamarino Swamp. The night was black, and very wet, and no shot was fired after 0 p.m. in my hearing, although ducks could be heard at ! intervals "chattering" in the swamp. Will your correspondent also tell us by what process of reasoning he arrives at the conclusion that, in the vast area under our control, there was "less poaching this year than last"? This area reaches from Topuni in the north to Taumarunui, and it is obviously absurd for any person to claim definite knowledge as to what takes place over such an extensive territory. GREGORY G. KELLY.