Mr McDougall said hunters should remember the firearms rules, and be really careful and keep safe.
"It's pretty good generally. Most hunters behave responsibly."
Rotorua's Tim Barrow's group will be shooting in Orini in North Waikato, which was somewhere they normally did reasonably well.
He said they might do a bit of hunting in the forest around Rotorua later in the season.
Hunting was a family trip and tradition, with his children going along too, he said.
He said they involved all the children - girls and boys.
"It's a great time to get together and spend some time together in the outdoors."
Mr Barrow said he hunted most weekends, when he got a chance.
"I've been hunting my whole life. I was brought up the same way with my father."
Fish & Game said the cold, wet, miserable summer much of the country endured has encouraged a bumper duck breeding effort.
In a statement, it said thousands of hunters would be out on rivers, lakes, and wetlands hoping to bag enough birds to lay on a duck dinner for their families.
Fish & Game carefully monitors duck populations before deciding how many can be harvested.
This year annual aerial surveys confirmed good duck populations in all South Island regions with similar reports from the North Island.
Fish & Game rangers and police will be joining forces over opening weekend to inspect hunters to make sure they have their licences and are following the rules.
The game bird hunting season runs from today until August 27.
Basic Rules for Safe Firearm Handling
1. Treat every firearm as loaded
Check every firearm yourself and pass or accept only an open or unloaded firearm.
2. Always point firearms in a safe direction
Loaded or unloaded, always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
3. Load a firearm only when ready to fire
Load the magazine only after you reach your shooting area. Load the chamber only when ready to shoot. Completely unload before leaving the shooting area.
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. Avoid alcohol and drugs when handling firearms
Good judgment is the key to safe use
