KARACHI, Oct 24: The annual hunting season commences on November 2 and would continue till February 29 next year, according to the Sindh Wildlife Department.

The department has declared nearly 50 talukas as ‘opened areas’ and 43 others as ‘closed areas’ for hunting during the season.

Hunting remains banned in national park, wildlife sanctuaries, game reserves, cantonment areas and PAF Base, Bholari. Hunting of spot bill, cotton teal, lesser whistling teal and marbelled teal as well as the protected species as mentioned in the ‘Schedule II’ of the Sindh Wildlife Protection Act is also banned.

The department issues hunting permits for Rs2,000 as feeand the bag limit for a permit-holder is 10 partridges, 10 sandgrouses, and 15 ducks (which include coots, moorhens, snipes, stints, dunlins, godwits, ruff, red shanks and curlews) on a hunting day. On the successive hunting days, the permit holder could hunt again during the entire season with the same bag limit.

Partridges and sandgrouses could be hunted on Sundays whereas ducks on Saturdays also. Quails can be hunted till Jan 25 next year on Sundays only and there is no bag limit for the hunted quails.

The talukas declared opened for hunting are Ghorabari, Shah Bandar, Mahal, Kharochhan, Mirpur Sakro, Sujawal, Jati, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Bago, Hyderabad, Qasimabad, Latifabad, Khipro, Samaro, Shaheed Fazil Rahu, Badin, Mahal Kohistan, Thano Bula Khan, Kotri, Mehar, Kunri, Diplo, Chachro, Mithi, Sarhari, Sakrand, Nara, Faiz Gunj, Bhirya, Sobho Dero, Thari Mirwah, Khairpur, Rohri, Sehwan, Ghotki, Khanpur, Digri, Jacobabad, Kandhkot, Ghari Kahiro, Shikarpur, Larkana, Miro Khan, Kambar, Sindhri, Tando Adam and Sinjhoro.