$l20 FOR A DAY’S SPORT

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32541, 26 February 1971, Page 17

$l20 FOR A DAY’S SPORT

Deerstalkers’ test of skill (N.Z.P.A. Stag Correspondent) LONDON. Feb. 25 Commercial deer shoots for sportsmen, with novel ways of charging the equivalent of up to $l2O for a day’s sport, are being planned in Wales. The Forestry Commission aims to introduce the shoots in 1972 in a 6000-acre forest near Port Talbot, where more than 200 head of fallow deer now roam. They are the descendants of deer which escaped from a nearby private park more than 20 years ago, and the shoots will begin after efforts to improve the herd by culling sick or unhealthy animals are completed. There will be a set winter season of about six months when buck can be stalked, and a shorter, four-montb season in mid-winter, when it will be possible to stalk does as well. The fee charged will depend on the hunter’s skill. A basic fee for three hours of shooting will be only a few pounds, but the shooter will be charged for every antler point he obtains, and he will be charged penalties of £1 for every shot that misses and £5 for any deer he wounds. A Forestry Commission spokesman said: “The penalties are to discourage reckless shooting, and to ensure clean kills. If a deer is wounded, all shooting will stop until it has been found and dispatched by the shooter or a ranger.”