NOT WANTED: Fish & Game has set up a special hunting season to help farmers disperse paradise ducks.
NOT WANTED: Fish & Game has set up a special hunting season to help farmers disperse paradise ducks.
A special two-week (three weekend) hunting season starting on Saturday, February 8, is being held in the Wellington region, which includes the Manawatu/Wairarapa areas.
Wellington Fish & Game regional manager Phil Teal says the season has been introduced to assist landowners who have groups of birds that are starting tofeed on new grass and crops.
"By harvesting some birds outside the normal game season it creates enough of a disturbance to disperse them into smaller flocks."
Paradise shelduck are known for moulting in groups on open water sites in January and, once the birds can fly again in February, they tend to aggregate in groups.
"This year we are restricting the season to private land only," says Mr Teal. "This will hopefully focus efforts on areas where there are potential problems for crops caused by large numbers of birds."
Public areas including Department of Conservation and Fish & Game land, such as Lake Wairarapa, will not be open during the special season.
"Putting this special season in place demonstrates another way in which Fish & Game and hunters are working in good faith with landowners and local rural communities," says Mr Teal. The season is open to all 2013 licensed game bird hunters from February 8-23, with a five birds per day limit.
