RIVERBED SPORT.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14686, 7 June 1913, Page 3

RIVERBED SPORT.

(BT CANTERBURY.)

{SPECIALLY WRITTEN FOJI *'THB l*-- 33 -

In those days of closer settlement and an increased population, of which apparently the majority possess more or less pronounced sporting tastes, NewZealand game has a precarious hold of existence, and tho gorsey overgrown riverbeds are almost the only preserves. Rabbits and hares aro always at home in such a prickly fastness, grey duck frequent tho by-streams and out-ot-the-way pools, paradise duek —so miscalled—keep everlasting watch for danger in tho open spaces; and whero a thicket of broom varies the sameness of the covert, a bevy of Californian quail may bo disturbed from its quest for scattered seeds. Rarely—as I did yesterday—ono might nappen upon a gorgeous cock pheasant, to revive memories of a time when real game lived on tho land; and we will hope that ho is allowed to escape unharmed. Pheasants aro now slightly more numerous, in certain parts of South Canterbury, and if somo head money could bo paid out for hawk and stoat, we ijoou should have an appreciable stock of winged quarry.

When once they havo seen and heard a gun, paradise ducks become t-he uiost wary tenants of ail tho riverbed: and except in hard weather are generally difficult to approach, it is to bo understood that during the present season they aro protected, but judging by the behaviour of those which 1 have noticed sinco May began, tho protection has been far* more definite on paper -than in practice, and it would be safe to guess that the majority had at sometime flown fast from a shooting "accident." However, it is a fact that these beautiful birds are twice or thrice u.s plentiful; therefore, the idea of protection has dono good, and perhaps has saved many from very truJy lawabiding citizens like myself. This is very well, for at the beginning of a season there is no bird easier to decoy. One day, by chance, we came suddenly upon seven paradise ducks, of which 1 shot the loader as they rose from a shingle strip, near some gorso at tho river-side, and we marked them down in a. bend, a mile upstream. Augustus lost tho toss of a coin, co ho walked ahead to' got beyond the piace, whilo I waited in the gorse and set up' the dead bird on the shingle strip for a decoy. Presently, a smokeless cartridge rapped out in tho distance, and five ducks came down the river, when catching, sight of tho decoy, they swerved round and pitched unhesitatingly besido it. Another was shot, and as they flew upstream again Augustus got one more. Tho survivors appeared badly scared, but even a drake detached himself from the rest and came deliberately to tho pair of decoys where lie also stayed. Five out of seven was a severe toll to levy on a single family, but this did not happen yesterday or tho day before. A bevy of quail in the broom pateli is tho highest prizo in riverbed sport, and as they buzz up startlingly whero they arc least expected, cartridge after cartridge may go amiss. Number ono and number two shot arc tho sizes most favoured by country sportsmen, so perhaps it is not a matter for wonder when tho Californian quail fly straight and safe. Rabbits are by tho way or all the wav, but they are many degrees better than the hare who canters listening in front of tho gun 3 and has to bo carried afterwards. Three hares in a morning form a load heavy enough to spoil very completely any further enjoyment of the afternoon; but if they aro left under a bush, to bo collected on tho morrow, it is as well to cover them sd that the ever-questing hawks may not discover their whereabouts. On* a very warm day we. onco thankfully left'three rabbits and a hares half screened by fomo gorse at tho foot of a terrace, and within twenty-four hours the whole lot had been torn abont until'it was not worth, while to move them. Often as a shoot is in progress hawks will interest themselves' closely in the proceedings, and I have seen a pirate bolder than the rest swoon at a wounded rabbit, which was going slowly up a bank about a hundred yards away.

On occasion a hawk has acted as retricvor, though it has never seemed necessary to spare them on that account and in fact that one deserving bird,met a speedy end. A duqk had fallen among thick rushes by a tributary creek, and a long search having failed to reveal his resting-place, wo counted him lost and went elsewhere. A rabbit was shot and as tho successful man debated the question of carrying it, a hawk dropped swiftly into the rushes wo had just left. Said somebody: "He has found that duck alraidy," and tho duck being my own special property I returned on tho chance. A score of yards from the spot where the hawk had settled I heaved in a boulder to put him up, and nothing occurred; but when the distance had been lessened by half, ho flounced out in a great hurry from a thick tuft. Having shot him carefully into another, I went to tho place from which he had risen and found ho had got the duck, and in tho brief time at his disposal had contrived to pluck nearly all tho feathers on the breast. As they dodge between the bushes, or scamper across an open space, the riverbed rabbits will afford plenty of sporting shots; but nowadays, when they nave been slain, it,is, unfortunately, necessary to pick and choose. Not all aro suitable for tho prospective pie, and it is better to select the fittest, and leave any that aro of doubtful quality. Though in their efforts to escape they showed no sign of anything being "wrong, overcrowding has caused disease among rabbits as it has done with trout, and in various localities a largo proportion are more or less unfit for human food. At the end of a shoot my share of the bag came to ten head, which was more than I wanted, but it was possible to cull them without much difficulty. Two had a big, softish lump on the side, which I took to mean a cyst of sorts, and discarded them, together with a third who had an old wound on the shoulder. Then I cleaned the rest in tho easiest way; you hold tip the rabbit by his front legs, and making a throe-inch incision far back underneath, run your hand downwards and shake his works all clear. In this particular case five sets of works contained two kinds of parasites, and out of the ten I took home two rather doubtfullj On the way an acquaintance asked, "What sport?" also mentioning that ho would be glad of a rabbit, ho I very kindly gave him both, and felt more "comfortable in consequence.

Among thick gorse three tilings are chioflv ntxessary —a do'A, a quick shot, i and another dog or dogs. On a day we drove to a private portion of a riverbed which was well stocked with ground-game, having with us a solitary spaniel which Charles took an early opportunity to shoot so that he was disabled and had to be tied up to the cart. As a matter of pure truth I was afraid Charles might shoot him again and as I had borrowed tho dox ! I might be held responsible. But kt this pass. Our bag tor that day was a dog. a duck, a hare, and a hat-lus brother's hat—o' which the wrath.v Charles made sure, as a eust of wind swept it across the shingle. A week later I shot over the same ground in company with a rabbiter and h.s pac k of eighteen dog=. when the total of our slayiS* mounted up to «>enty-threo heAd A spaniel is bettor than any lareer do- at this kind of work, for ho cln follow beneath bushes where a sheepdog or retriever would bo "Wr/'recently, when I tried to buy one I had no W that spaniel, were '

f-o rare in Canterbury or so valuable ' auywiic-re. It seems tho fortunate : owner of such an animal is oxpec.cd j to loud him to friends v. ho go shooting I nearly every day during tiie week, ana ■ 1 imagine the adventuies of the dog \ must be exciting and very many. One ; ol these spa:-..e_-of-ai'-work I know, ■ and a lew m his experiences. Ho is a ! grcaj. ungawsiy creature, ncarlv tho i &:ze of a siuMpdog. and in full posses- "i Hon ot all ti:e instincts of a mule; but i owning the colouring of a spaniel, a | epamel ho is termed; "Slinker" by! nickname If "Slinker" had been pro- ' perly broken In? might have served the purpose or a better dog: as it is. he denghts in disobedience, and in the act or chasing a hare across country whero it is particularly desired he should not go. ttneri I met him first, he was uusily running a Sock of sheep; the j farmer as bu>ily was running "Sim- ! kor ; and his borrower of the moment '■ was running elsewhere at a rato of j knots, which under the circumstances j was about tho wisest thing ho could j have done. I think "Slinker" was born ' to be hanged, for appnrentlv it is quite ' lnipcsiible to shoot him. He has been j peppered," "seriously hit"—in severa' ' ways-and shot in the head and left j i or dead: jmt after this last disaster! he arrived home on his own. early next j morning. Very shortly he felt equal to ! tho task of stealing a leg of mutton, i and to going out shooting again with i all comers. Vive "Slinker."