Pea doves, beware!

• Bird-shooting season starts tomorrow

Bird-shooting season starts this Saturday and ends September 25.

Monitored by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and regulated under the Wildlife Protection Act, hunting is restricted to weekends only. The times are Saturday mornings, sunrise to 9 a.m., and in the afternoons, 2:30 p.m. to sunset; and on Sundays, sunrise to 9 a.m. only.

Birds that may be hunted this year are restricted to four types - the white-crown pigeon (baldpate), white-wing dove, long-tailed pea dove and pea dove. The bag limit is 20 birds per shooting session, with a maximum of 15 baldpates per bag.

There are a number of game reserve areas across the island in each parish.

Hunters must have a valid firearm licence and a hunter's permit from NEPA.

According to NEPA, violations have declined over the past five years, when compared to previous years, mainly due to stricter enforcement, public-awareness programmes and environmental stewardship.

A bird falls from the sky after being shot by a member of the Driftwood Gun Club. - File

Hunting is restricted to weekends only: Saturday mornings, sunrise to 9 a.m., Saturday afternoons, 2:30 p.m. to sunset; and Sundays, sunrise to 9 a.m. only.