Mixed bags but promising start to Otago duck hunting season

‘A very promising season is underway’ is the summary Otago Fish & Game Council spokesperson Ian Hadland used to describe the opening of the regions duck hunting season at the weekend. He said he was still getting reports back in from rangers and shooters for opening weekend but the comments so far have been pretty positive.

“All agreed they are seeing a heap of birds but the bags were a bit patchy. The larger water didn’t shoot quite as well on opening morning, probably due to the amount of other water laying about elsewhere and the lack of wind. But all the chaps on small ponds had a few birds each with the occasional hunter getting a limit bag. The birds were definitely spread about more than usual and I think that was due to the weather conditions.”

Saturday nights heavy rain changed the scene in favour of the ducks with flooding throughout much of the region and large areas of surface water in open paddocks – a favoured haunt of the wiley mallard. “Some river based hunters have had to move their shooting places, some to adjacent paddocks, to get a few birds on Sunday morning. Ironically the wind, which is helpful to keep birds low, started up and the adaptive hunters who were prepared to brave the southerlies and rain managed to get a few extra birds for the weekend”

4 ranging crews supported by a number of additional volunteer rangers covered the region interviewing around 120 hunters.

A pre-dawn dedicated ranging effort which targeted hunters as they left the boat ramps of Lakes Waihola and Waipori was generally well received and appeared to have had an impact on hunter behavior. Hunters were warned about shooting times and distances and had their ammunition checked for banned lead shot. “Not a single offence was encountered on the lakes and not a gunshot was heard on either lake until well after the legal start time of 7am which was a great result”

Ranging teams went on to check 40 or more private ponds in the Milton, Tokomariro, Clydevale and Heriot areas. Mr Hadland said he was very pleased with the overall compliance rate there too. Two unattended shotguns were seized when a (Milton area) maimai was found with a considerable volume of banned lead shot cartridges. “The duck hunters had either done a runner or headed home so for safety and legal reasons, the shotguns and ammo were removed. But apart from that, everyone else was licenced, doing everything just right and having a good time going about it”

Another pleasing aspect noted by the Fish & Game Rangers was the number of kids out in the field. “It’s great to see the next generation out in swamps learning a few skills and watching their next wild game dinner fall from the sky. ” Mr Hadland said