John, I take your advice, however, I feel I ought to respond to a couple of things.
1. If one were to go to North India, as opposed to reading books or picking info off the internet, then you will soon find out that local people in some parts of North India, will lynch you if you shoot a Nilgai. That is a fact, and anyone who has actually been there will confirm this.
2. The state of Kashmir is virtually a war zone, and anyone wandering through the countryside with a firearm, in search of Pheasants, will find himself in some serious shit,either with the terrorists or the authorities.
3.Not all forest department staff are corrupt. There are some damn hard working guys out there, who put their lives on the line in order to protect the animals and habitat they have responsibility for.I know a few of them.
4.All forms of shooting, anywhere in the subcontinent are banned. For anyone to suggest they can go to India and shoot on private land, is simply talk about commiting a criminal offence.One can easily put this one to the test. Just let me know where and when one intends shooting...
5. I will take a public bet with anyone who reckons that the Tiger will be extinct in India within 10 years, and if there is so much concern about the poaching of tigers, has anyone actually complained to the director of project Tiger, or the WWF, or the Govt of India? I have relevant e-mail addresses. In fact I will be inviting some of the folks from the Wildlife and forest Depts to this forum . They will be most interested in what is being written about them, and may also have some useful contributions to make.
6. With the state of deforestation in the subcontinent, shooting in India could quite easily be compared to canned hunts in South Africa.
7. Pheasant shooting in Mussorie ? More chances of shooting a Kangaroo on mount Everest.
I have not directed the above observations to any person in particular.
I hope you like the pics. Please feel free to use them on the forum, there are plenty more where they came from. The quality is not too clever, as I am not a very good photographer.
M.