Shooting is not just about hunting

As spring approaches, many of us are already feeling the kind of excitement felt by many who have a passion for something. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, that feeling will turn into depression, sorrow, grief and anger towards our politicians who have deprived us of the rights they promised and guaranteed us. To add insult to injury, foreigners are allowed to scrutinise us on our own land, working hand in hand with the police to raise suspicions and humiliate us as if we were criminals.

One of the main activities in hunting, as in many other sports, is to socialise and share ideas. We also look after our land, keep our dogs healthy and keep ourselves healthy. These birds are also a delicacy.

I normally don't miss a day during the hunting season and my average bag is 10 doves and four quails in a whole season (60 days). This is a fact, and that's why it's not just about hunting. If it were, then one would be better off hunting abroad with a minimum bag of 50 birds per day.

I believe that every person involved in an activity which has turned into a passion will find no substitute for it. There are several sports played by ball but only one becomes a passion. And so it is with hunting and trapping for us; it is our way of life and we die for it.

Hunting and fishing are similar in that the creatures that are caught can both be raised in farms nowadays. So why do we hunt and fish? Why does a hunter or a fisherman spend a whole day out for a 50 to 100 gram catch when it can be bought from over a counter? Why do we never give up? Because it's not just about hunting or fishing.

What is wrong, I ask, in taking an animal - bird or fish - from the wild as long as it is done within the legal parameters and good use is made of it? Why all this sensationalism and hatred from the antis?

In the UK recently it was reported that the number of deer has to drop by one hundred thousand, quite an unbelievable number when the deer is regularly hunted in the UK. So what exactly causes a decline in the number of animals, fish and birds? It is the habitat, pesticides, contamination of water, predators, raptors, wars, global warming, etc. etc. On what grounds should spring hunting on turtle dove and quail be banned in Malta? The number caught is insignificant. These birds are game birds. They are in Annex II and not in any danger. In some countries they are considered pests. But for the Maltese they are part of a tradition. Only a small percentage cross the Maltese islands, mostly depending on the weather. There is no alternative to spring hunting. Only in Malta is the season closed for seven months. To hunt, Maltese hunters are spending their money abroad, mainly in UK.

I ask politicians, do we or do we not have the right to take part in this activity? Or is it that we have to take part only in their activities?