THE FUTURE OF GAME SHOOTING

Southland Times, Issue 23228, 17 June 1937, Page 9

THE FUTURE OF GAME SHOOTING

To The Editor

Sir,—l was interested to read of the discussion by the Southland Acclimatization Society you reported under the above heading some days ago. It appears that Mr Waters had written asking the society to take steps to prevent (1) commercializing of lagoons, (2) feeding lagoons, (3) using automatic guns, (4) exceeding decoy limits. To (1) and (2) Mr Waters might well have added, "Holding game in cool storage." These three things (apart from natural enemies and the great increase in the number of shooters) ai almost entirely to blame for the present scarcity cf native game. If the bag-limit were enforced with a penalty at least ten times as heavy as at present, it would help; but if the feeding and commercializing of lagoons were prohibited the opportunity to exceed the bag limit would be greatly reduced.

As to exceeding the decoy limit, I think this is very rarely done. The big kills are generally made on fed lagoons where a lot of decoys are not necessary. I will speak of the automatic gun last, as I differ very strongly from Mr Waters, Mr Russell, and Mr Robertson in this matter.

I claim that I would give the grey duck as fair a run as any of the gentlemen named. I would be surprised o learn that any of them has a longer or wider experience of all kinds of guns and game shooting generally than I have, and 1 say that the automatic as a two-shot gun is definitely inferior to a common double barrel As a five-shot gun it ha. nothing on a high-class

double except that it is easier to buy. If all the automatic guns in Southland were “called in” and double barrels of a medium class issued in their place it would not save the lives of 20 ducks a year, but if the bag-limit were backed up with a worth-while penalty it would save the lives of 1000 ducks a year. If the feeding and commercializing of lagoons were prohibited it would save many thousands of ducks each year, and perl aps be the means of preserving a few grey ducks for the generations that will follow us.

The discussion that you report as following the introduction of the “hardy annuals” was just another “hardy annual,” for “annually” the automatic gun is made the scapegoat, or “red herring” to keep the discussion away from greater evils.—Yours, etc., AGAINST CLASS-LEGISLATION. June 15, 1937.