Hunters hope for bad weather

This weekend is the start of the duck shooting season, and while many outdoor enthusiasts will be hoping for good weather duck hunters are hoping for the opposite. Bad weather forces birds into the air in search of more sheltered spots, placing them in the firing line.

Strong southerly winds send waterfowl in from the exposed ocean and the centre of the large lakes (such as Ellesmere) to calmer, more sheltered lake boundaries and flooded paddocks. Birds are also forced to move onto farm ponds and away from their flooded riverbed roosts. This is good for duck hunters as it makes the ducks more accessible and more likely to be attracted to decoys.

So far the weather is looking like it will come to the party with southerly winds predicted for this Saturday. Aside from the weather there are other indications that it is going to be a good opening. Fish & Game ranger Brian Ross says he has numerous reports from farmers regarding ducks on their properties, which usually indicates that there should be plenty of ducks around for hunters, and they should be well fed. This proliferation of numbers is most likely due to wet spring conditions which leads to good duck breeding.

Mr Ross wishes to remind hunters that Fish & Game will be out checking licences this opening weekend, and that hunters must have their current hunting and firearms license on them. Mr Ross also stresses that until an official change is made to the Wildlife Act, a hunting licence is still required to hunt Canada geese.