Shooters set sights on long weekend

GOOD WORK: A gun dog retrieves a mallard during the duck shooting season.PHOTO/FISH AND GAME NZ

With two weeks to go in the duck shooting season, this Queen's Birthday weekend may be a good time for hunters to head out for a final shot.

"The rain has moved the birds around and reshuffled the playing field," said Phil Teal, general manager of Wellington Fish and Game.

Overall, shooters had been reporting a good season but there were some times where they hadn't done so well, he said.

"Opening weekend was blue skies, which favoured ducks over hunters."

Birds were coming in much larger groups than previous years, but the season had been patchy, with low numbers in some parts.

A lot of duck hunters shooting north of Masterton had done well with "good numbers getting reported".

"Most hunters have been relatively happy."

He said most shooters this season had been compliant, with only one or two infringements detected, which was "pretty good compared with previous years".

Mr Teal said there was no compromise on firearm safety and reminded hunters to practice the seven firearm safety principals.

Tony Roseingrave of King and Henry, a keen duck shooter, said shooting this season had been "reasonable" with a high percentage of ducks shot being paradise ducks rather than mallards.

"In some areas mallard numbers have been strong, but less then paradise numbers overall."

People had done "particularly well" with paradise ducks on opening weekend.

Mr Roseingrave said although shooting at Lake Wairarapa had been good over opening weekend, it hadn't been for the rest of the season with shooters saying it had been disappointing.

"Since the beginning of the season it's been disappointing down the lake Wairarapa area."

The season in the Wellington region finishes on June 14.

"Only a few weeks to go."