LIBERATING PHEASANTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19947, 16 May 1928, Page 14

LIBERATING PHEASANTS

NEW POLICY ADOPTED. STOCKING * LARGF. HOLDINGS. CLOSE SEASONS FOR BREEDING

Considerable improvement in the conditions for pheasant shooting is expected to follow the adoption of a new policy decided upon by the council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society at its recent meeting at Te Aroha, At the present time," the president, Mr. F. E. MeKenzie, states, "there is an inevitable tendency, although fortunately not a practice, of liberating the birds on farms near the headquarters of the sub-socie-ties, where the owners are known to the officials, and the back country is often neglected. The result is the birds are liberated on small farms and aro shot three months later before they become wild and cunning, and before they can breed.

"On each of those farms we may assume there are two dogs, three cats, a farmer with a shot gun, who does not require to take out a licence, and a boy with a pea-rifle, beside the usual quota of hawks, stoats and weasels. A perusal of the daily paper shows that the use of poisoned wheat is not unknown. I therefore suggested that the liberation of the birds should be closely controlled by the council, not for shooting, but for breeding purposes only." Selecting Suitable Blocks.

The plan is to select, through the subsocieties, suitable blocks containing large holdings, preferably adjoining, of not less than 2000 acres. Upon the application of the owners, these areas will be gazetted as closed against all shooting for two or three years, and will be stocked with birds by the society. The areas must have suitable cover and feed, arid must be free from rabbits and the consequent poisoning, the sub-society undertaking to conduct an active campaign of vermin destruction. Areas for which application is made will be inspected by the society's ranger, who will personally supervise the liberation of birds. Important Advantages. Important advantages are hoped foi this scheme. The birds, to the number of perhaps 1500 per annum, will be liberated only where they will breed and where they will not be a nuisance to farmers on small holdings. They will have one or two years for breeding before being disturbed and will be given an opportunity to spread over the district. Also, they will be wild and cunning before the shooting of them starts. The sub-societies will have greater control over hawk and vermin destruction in tho restricted area than over tho entire district, and organised poisoning, trapping and shooting of hawks by officials and owners should give the pheasants every chance to breed prolifically. Permission From Owners. It was suggested at the To Aroha meet ing, which was attended by officials of the Thames, Waihi, Te Aroha, Morrinsville, Paeroa, Patetonga and Waitemata sub-societies, that owners should allow any licence-holder to shoot over their land on request, but it was subsequently agreed to waive this condition in cases where the sub-societies were satisfied owners would not use the birds for their private use, but only for breeding purposes, in the interest of the public. With this amendment tho new policy was unanimously approved.

"I would like to state," Mr. McKenzie adds, "that the society expects all licenceholders not to enter farms without permission from the owners. I believe that those men who commit wilful trespass and cause damage to the stock, turkeys and crops of farmers are not licence-holders at all, but poachers. If all the other subsocieties will join in assisting the propagation of pheasants on these lines tho liberation of 1500 birds per annum in, say, three or four years, should give us as good shooting as in the good old days."