SHOOTING MUST NOT DIE OUT

Northern Advocate, 24 June 1937, Page 9

SHOOTING MUST NOT DIE OUT

Minister Discusses Plans For An Improvement

The Hon. W. E. Parry, meeting a deputation from the Whangarei Acclimatisation Society yesterday, expressed surprise at a statement that teal have become so plentiful in the Whangarei district that they are a menace. Mr Parry said he was surprised, in view of the! evidence against the statement. “We cannot expect game to be on the increase in view of the existing conditions,” he said. We drain the grounds where hundreds of thousands of ducks used to feed. Now, in most eases, the ducks have.to feed in swampy areas of rain water.

“Pheasants are in much the same position. Years ago the birds were plentiful and the number of shooters was much less; moreover, the means of transport was much slower. At that time, too, the birds had plenty of natural cover, but today the best part of that cover has been destroyed. I am not-speaking of ground' fern, which is really not sufficient cover for the game birds, but of bush trees.

More Expert Shootists. “Then the of good shooters in the old days was small, whereas today, with the practice obtained with clay birds, shooters are expert and ■seldom miss a bird on the wing. In addition, the enemies of the birds have been introduced —the stoat and weasel —and they are in great numbers . It would seem that, taking all circumstances into consideration, the comparatively few birds being reared and liberated are just like a mere drop of water in the ocean in view of the large number being killed or shot.

“In my opinion, the evidence is absolutely against the idea of there being any real increase in game birds. Unless we stop killing breeding birds for a while, and rear and liberate many more than we are at present, the sport will go back and back—in fact, will soon go out all together. Mr Snow: That is why tve are' concentrating on the fish. , Advertising Value. Continuing, the Minister said he considered it would be definitely a retrograde step if game shooting were allowed to go out of existence. Even from the point of view, of advertising the country and attracting tourists, it was invaluable.

-It had occurred to him tire previous evening when he was being tendered 'a civic reception, and speakers had decried the lack of advertisement given to Northland, that the district had had a wonderful advertisement from its sporting facilities. People throughout New Zealand and Australia spoke of it as the mecca of shooting people. So, from all points of view, it would seem advisable to vigorously tackle the present position. A campaign to ascertain whether or not sportsmen of the Dominion wanted to keep the sport going would be desirable. If they did —and he thought they did — then he considered it necessary to commence a vigorous , policy of rearing apd liberating birds, to the extent, in respect of pheasants, of at least 30,000 a year.

At Least £20,000 Necessary. He, himself, was tired of seeing shooters humbugged—he wanted to give them birds for the sport and, to do so, he considered it would be necessary to have at least £20,000. He would have suggested these matters at the conference recently held in Wellington if he had had an opportunity, and, had the delegates agreed, he considered it would have been quite feasible for the conference people to have borrowed the required money at a cheap rate of interest, in order that the sport might again be placed on a good foundation; He did not know whether sportsmen of the Dominion were sufficiently united to go ahead now with such a campaign. He, himself, was of the opinion there should be one closed season for pheasants and ducks, the liberation of a large number of birds which would bred and increase naturally. Getting Fair Return? The following year, therefore, there would be a splendid number of birds, including those liberated, and the number reared from them under natural conditions. In that way the country would be restocked and shooting placed on a proper basis once again. There was an increase in the number of licenses taken out during the current season, but there would be few birds for the sportsmen to shoot—practically none. Mr Parkin: I cannot agree with you. I think a shooter gets a fair return—he pays approximately £ 10 for his outfit and gets from 10 to 20 birds. The Minister: If he gets that number, then he is getting a fair return, | but I have pretty good evidence to the I contrary. So strongly do I feel about | the matter, that I-am not going to see ; shooters fooled any longer. I know | the best shooter you have in this dis- | trict and he got just about the numj ber you mentioned, and that is not an I average.

Mr Parkin: I know the man, and he had 45 pheasants and 45 ducks.

The Minister: Well, he is but one, and I undertake to say that the average shooter has not got more than five birds and quite a number none at all.

Mr Parkin said the position might, be as stated by the Minister, but he was of the opinion the birds were accommodating themselves t'o the changed conditions. Mr Snow said he agreed with Mr Parkin. The main trouble, he considered, was the vermin, principally the stoat.

The Minister: And the hawk, too. After dealing with the question of vermin and some further observations on ducks, the Minister promised to assist the society in every way he could.