Hunters urged to wear life jackets during duck season

Gun dogs are naturally endowed with what they need to survive in the water; their owners may not be.

Duck hunters are being urged to wear life jackets during the season that starts on Saturday, particularly in areas where water levels are much higher than usual thanks to cyclones Debbie and Cook.

Fish & Game's southern game bird manager for the Auckland-Waikato region, David Klee, said high water levels may cause problems.

"The amount of water around is phenomenal. While water levels have been dropping, there have been places you could usually walk to that may still be inaccessible, or only able to be reached by boat, and some mai mai may be flooded," he said.

"Hunters need to take care around water. Always wear a life jacket when you are on the water, and avoid overloading boats with mates, equipment and dogs."

Water Safety New Zealand agreed that high water levels meant increased risk, particularly in terms of rivers that could be extremely changeable, CEO Jonty Mills saying rivers had been responsible for around a third of all preventable drownings over the last couple of years.

"We urge all hunters to use caution and make safety a priority," he said.

"Assess the risks and look after yourself and others. We want all hunters to come back to their families this season."

Auckland-Waikato Fish & Game officer John Dyer said the risks were very real.

"The guy who sold me my first inflatable life jacket drowned while topping up his duck feeder in a flood. He couldn't swim, and we spent a couple of days looking for him," he said.

John Meikle, a Fish & Game officer in the Eastern region, said hunters using waders should always wear some form of belt.

"This can be as simple as a piece of rope tied round your waist, but even better, use a shotgun cartridge belt round the outside of your waders," he said. That would create an air pocket below the waist that allowed the wearer to float if they fell in. And there were other benefits.

"The belt also stops the cold water saturating your nether regions if you trip over and get a wee bit of a dunking," he said.

North Canterbury Fish & Game field officer Tony Hawker said life jackets were cheap life insurance. The new inflatable models weren't cumbersome and would not restrict shooting.

Irrigation ponds, an increasingly common feature in some parts of the country, posed specific risks according to Fish & Game's central South Island field officer Rhys Adams.
"Their calm water and machine-countered banks can make them look benign. Hunters need to realise the water is deep and cold and the banks are steep," he said.

"Wear warm clothing and strong footwear, and ensure that the ducks and retrieving dogs are the only ones going for a swim."