Voting to stop spring hunting would give the public access to public land normally used exclusively by hunters, the SHout campaign said today.

Campaign spokesman Mark Sultana said at a press conference in Mizieb,that this was a 'cemetery' of illegally killed protected birds.

Over the years, he said, there had been many discoveries of buried and hidden protected birds including herons and birds of prey which had been shot illegally in the area.

A vote against spring hunting would not only be a vote to stop the illegal killing of protected birds but would allow families to enjoy beautiful countryside such as Mizieb, which is public land.

Athlete Fabio Spiteri said that runners, cyclists, joggers and other athletes should rally behind the anti spring hunting calls if they wanted to enjoy a large chunk of the island's outdoor places.

He said that although he loved to run and cycle in the Mizieb area, he tied to avoid it during the spring hunting season.