Ross Birchall is passing on the family tradition of game bird shooting to son Finn. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER
For the keenest of game bird shooters, this morning is better than Christmas morning as they take to the maimai ready for the first shoot of the season. Rebecca Malcolm talks to some local shooters - and discovers it is about more than just how many ducks they bag.
Game bird shooting is as much a part of Ross Birchall as the blood that pumps through his veins.
It's been that way for as far back as his memory stretches, and for the several generations before him.
Back in the late 1800s his great grandfather "blew his leg off" duck shooting - that's how far back the stories go on the Birchall side.
And it hasn't just been the blokes. His mum hit the headlines in 1967 for her shooting prowess and it wasn't uncommon to come home from school to find a note on the table to say she'd gone shooting and would be back at 5pm.
Now Ross is making sure those stories continue into the next generation, through 14-year-old son Finn.
Today, as with every first Saturday in May, they'll rise before dawn, with their trusty dogs alongside them, staking their spot for the day ahead.
"I wouldn't say I'm extreme, but some would say I'm pretty close to it."
With Fish & Game predicting a better season than in the past, when mallard numbers hit "rock bottom", it looks as though game bird shooters may be in for a good season.
Taking a conservative approach to duck numbers, they've limited the season to a short, four-week season ending on Queen's Birthday, June 1.
They've also set the bag limit of only six mallard and grey duck in an attempt to hasten the recovery of the population.
Ross will be out there today - and tomorrow too. Then he'll be out most weekends and any evening he can to make the most of the month-long season for ducks. "You've got to make the most of it."
The season for other game birds lasts longer, but Ross admits he starts looking forward to the next season almost as soon as one closes.
"Before you know it, it's on top of you again. Particularly the farm I shoot on, the guy is in preparation all year."
While there's always fierce competition among mates about how the opening day has gone, it's about camaraderie and fun.
"It's about the experience, working your dog. They really look forward to it and it's having fun with your family and friends. The tradition of going shooting is something that Kiwis love and hold close to their hearts."
When duck season closes, it's the pheasants they go after, and according to Ross the local area has some of the best pheasant shooting in the country.
"It's just fantastic. Lots of walking, the dogs just love it and if you shoot something that's just fantastic."
Fellow Rotorua shooter Spencer Hill is another who has shooting running through the family line.
He shot his first duck at 15 - "it was a family thing, my dad shot ducks, his dad shot ducks".
For Spencer, it follows a love of hunting and what started out as a family thing has become his own passion - one he's passing on to his children.
Far from just heading out for a few shots, Spencer says the appeal is in the skill required.
"Shooting things on the wing is not particularly easy. It's a skilful thing to do."
And the skill doesn't just lie with the shooting - it's getting the ducks there in the first place.
"Duck calling is another skill, it takes hours and hours of practice."
Besides, he says, he quite likes the taste of duck.
While once he'd be out there "going a bit crazy" trying to see how many ducks they could get over the season, these days 10 birds is enough for him in any given season.
"My preference is night shooting. There's more action in a short space of time. I'm not so much into sitting in a maimai all day for eight ducks."
As time has gone on, Spencer has also become a bit more philosophical about opening morning, not always heading out depending on what's going on.
"It's not like it used to be. It used to be that I never slept the night before, now I don't really care how many I get, it's more whether I shoot well or not."
Spencer says he went for a "big period" where he didn't shoot, only recently getting back into it, partly to pass the opportunity on to son Callum, 14.
He says part of it these days is instilling the skills into his children, and that knowledge about where food comes from and how it gets on their plate.
"You instill in the kids that if you kill something you have to eat it. It's not about blood thirst, it's about food ... that killing part is just something you have to do."
Dural Lash loves that concept of passing on the skills to children, and spending time with them in the shooting season.
Unlike many, he isn't one who grew up game bird shooting each May, but taught himself as a follow on from the other hunting which he loves - and now hopes it will become a tradition.
For him it's about getting out with son Shane, working with the dogs and as someone who works in an office environment during the week, it's a good opportunity to get outdoors.
"For us it has become a tradition.
"The first weekend in May is pretty much set in stone."
He says shooting a certain number of ducks isn't a priority, it's more about getting out there with friends. Traditionally opening weekend is spent down Gisborne way where they stay in an old woodshed on a farm.
"It's more about the package and the experience."
SAFETY FIRST
- Treat every firearm as loaded:
Check every firearm yourself and pass or accept only an open or unloaded firearm.
- Always point firearms in a safe direction:
Loaded or unloaded, point the muzzle in a safe direction.
- Load a firearm only when ready to fire:
Load the magazine only after you reach your shooting area. Load the chamber when ready to shoot. Unload before leaving the shooting area.
- Identify your target beyond all doubt:
Movement, colour, sound and shape can all deceive you. Assume colour, shape, sound, and shape to be human until proven otherwise.
- Check your firing zone:
Think! What may happen if you miss your target? What might you hit between you and the target or beyond? Do not fire when you know others are in your firing zone.
- Store firearms and ammunition safely:
When not in use, lock away the bolt, firearm and ammunition separately. And never leave firearms in a vehicle that is unattended.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs when handling firearms.
Good judgment is the key to safe use.
- From New Zealand Mountain Safety Council