The report on Hunting in Madhya Pradesh that I alluded to was prepared by the recently retired Chief Conservator of Forests there, Dr H S Pabla, in association with scientists in South Africa and the USA. The study was supported by WWF and I am awaiting permission to post it here. I do hope to get it.

The whole populated areas argument is BS. If poachers can shoot game without injuring people in the area, so can well trained hunters. India DOES allow the import of ammunition - anyone who has a minimum qualifying score for ISSF competition is allowed to import 15000 rounds of ammunition of any kind a year under current rules. Also the import of Muzzleloaders is permitted as is upto 50 rounds of ammunition per trip abroad by those who hold gun licenses and do not qualify for ISSF competition.

There is a long list of gun shops on more than one Indian forum and the NRAI also sells imported ammunition in non match calibres like 30-06, 7x57 and 8x57 from time to time to its members.

It is often a habit for Indian expats to spout off on subjects that they know bloody little about, stuck as they often are in a time warp going back to India's socialist years with the added desire of trying to look like brown sahibs long after the Raj and the socialist years in Indian government ended. Keep on at it - we do need to have something to laugh at from time to time in between discussing more serious matters.