USE OF BIRD SCARERS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30042, 29 January 1963, Page 6

USE OF BIRD SCARERS

Shooting Heard At Night

The use of bird scarers was a likely explanation for what appeared to be extensive night shooting, said the secretary of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society (Mr E. J. C. Hay) commenting on a letter to "The Press” by a correspondent, “Stop 21,” on the subject of Canada geese who asked whether it was legal for shooters to shoot Canada geese all night, starting after dark and continuing till dawn. "Night shotting has been going on since before Christmas, although only odd shots” said the correspondent

Last Friday week there were at least 50 rounds fired during the night and since then it has been going on. "la It a fair thing that birds should be shot in the night? How many must get away wounded and left a prey to hawks and eels. It is sad listening to their distressed cries at night

“I once heard of a man who shot a goose and when he went to pick it up a big eel had hold of it and it pulled him over into the water. Whoever to doing the night shooting to surely no sportsman.**

"The society has a number Of these mechanical devicea that explode with a report similar to that from the discharge of a shot-gun,” said Mr Hay. “To assist in the protection of ripening crops some of these bird scarers are in use on different properties, and the explosions therefrom ean quite easily be mistaken tor those from a shot-gun. The society’s field staff have established this to the satisfartion of several people who have drawn attention to the alleged shooting.”