LAND AND WATER

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1618, 4 March 1903, Page 60

LAND AND WATER

(By “Dalbiac.”)

Tho blue duck, otherwise known as the mountain duck, or whistler (native whio) is now absolutely protected.

Tho Wainui Forest Reserve, near Paraparaumn, is gazetted a reserve for native- and imported game. The area is 13,800 acres.

Red deer stags of not less than ten points may be taken in the open portion of the counties of South Wairarapa and Featherston from March 2nd to April 30th, both days inclusive. Licenses can be obtained at the post offices at Wellington, Masterton. Carterton, Greytown, Featherston, and Martinborough.

The season for shooting fallow deer in the Wanganui district opens on March 2nd, and extends to April 15tlL Only bucks can be taken, and those only of four points and upwards. T.n Marlborcugh the deer season is from February 23rd to April 30th, and in Nelson from February 21st to April 14th.

Tho Wellington Gun Club has made all arrangements for securing a ground at Karori on which to hold future competitions; and in tho course cf a few weeks tho new ground will* be opened with an inanimate bird-shojf.ing match. As the new ground can be more easily reached than ccruld the old one near the Lower Butt, the officials of the club anticipate that there will in future be' a large accession of members with corresponding increase in the number of competitions. The new field of the club is situated nearly opposite the Karori pleasure grounds. Information has Just reached the “Eltham Argus” that people, who probably deem themselves sportsmen, are in the common habit of shooting pigeons in the bush not far out from Eltham. Shooting wild pigeons is a mild sport at any time, for the poor things sit still to be shot at, and have no hope of escape; but shooting them out df season is a barbarous act, and we should like to see the offenders detected and prosecuted. Surely the “Argus” knows that the slaughter of wild pigeons in and out of season, is on e of the.most common outrages from end to end of the colony. There is a certain class of people to whom the question of season or of sportsmanship never occurs. Tho home of big trout is undoubtedly in Blenheim, and when the piscatorial amateurs of Wellington become better seized of the fact there is sure to be an exodus of fishermen to the picturesque inland town from this contiguous city of Wellington. Including a trip by train from Pictou to Blenheim, the journey can be made from Wellington in five and a half to six hours, and it is safe to say that no better fishing grounds for trout are to be found in the colony than those ox the Opawa and Omaka Rivers. It ivas in the Omaka River that the record heavy trout for the colony (281 b in weight) was caught two years ago by Mr Claude Ball, and it is of interest to note that the same sportsman two weeks ago captured a male trout which turned the scale at 18-Jlb. The Ball family, which numbers four brothers, are fishermen to a man, and the mark of their gum-boots is on every marge and shallow around Blenheim. Mr Tom Ball, who has caught the first fish of the season, for the last two years, lias this season established the following record amongst the “speckled beauties”: —Ist'October, on© fish, 5Mb; 2nd October, one fish 11b, one fish 101 b; sth October, one fish 81b; 6th October, three fish aggregating 9£lb; 10th October, one fish 6Mb; November 2. one fish 111 b ; November 4th, one fish fish’7lb ; November Bth, one fish 811 b; November 21st. one fish 101 b; November 31st, two fish lOflb and 81b respectively; December Ist. one fish 611 b i December 4th, one fish 8ilb; December 7th, one fish 911 b; December Bth one fish 1211 b; December 13th. one fish o^lb , December 14th, one fish 51b : December 15th. one fish 51b:. December Irth one fish 61b; December ,18th fish 6ilb and llflb respectively; December 19th. one fish 12Mb; January 11th, one fish Hb ; January 26th one fish^9lb, February sth, one fish 15Mb > February, Bth, one fish 121 b.