Bright Hunting Caps

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31441, 7 August 1967, Page 20

Bright Hunting Caps

(N.Z. Press Association)

INVERCARGILL, August 6. Hunters should wear brightly coloured caps as a safety measure, the annual conference of the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association decided in Invercargill on Saturday. A Tokoroa remit noted that there had been two fatalities in one week in the Taupo area, and said these may not have happened if a safety colour had been worn. Caps and garments of various colours were passed around for inspection. Auckland delegates presented a remit asking other outdoor sporting bodies to wear similar identification caps. They said there had been too many people killed In their area recently because of lack of care in identifying the target. After experimenting with various materials the branch had produced a garment which it thought was satisfactory. Discussion followed on the practability of such colours in the field. It was decided that the value of a hunting cap was limited, but the remits were passed. Law Change Sought

The association wants a change in the present law relating to shooting accidents caused by' negligence so that action can successfully be brought against offenders. A Hawke’s Bay remit unanimously supported said: “It is a general principle that when harm is done to one person as a result of the negligence of another person, the second person can be made to account for his action. “This association believes that this principle should apply to shooting accidents and that particular emphasis be

placed on the necessity to positively identify the target.”

The conference also agreed that the use of full-jacket military bullets in hunting should be prohibited. A note to a South Canterbury remit on the subject said soft hunting bullets killed more effectively, with fewer wounded animals.

“The soft point is safer because any that miss game break up on impact with less chance of richochets,” the note said. The conference decided that the association should participate In the mountain safety campaign and press for a greatly increased allocation

of funds to the campaign. It recommended that all new members be required to pass a hunting and firearms safety course. The conference urged that the hunting permit system be overhauled, especially from a safety angle, and that all reports on fatal and, where possible, non-fatal shooting accidents be reported in “Wild Life,” the association's magazine.