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31 hours to go....
............................and I will be sitting in the mangroves waiting for my 52nd opening day of duck season to start.
Been that busy with the film crew all week I havent even begun to get ready...But, a quick glance in the shed showed that everything was put away properly last year so its just a matter of dragging the dekes ( 55 of them) out, loading the boat and heading up to the same place I have hunted all my life on opening day.
This year the tide is high at about 5.30am so we can head out about 4am instead of going out on the harbour the night before and sleeping in the 13' aluminium boat.
And yes, I am just as excited as I was the first year I accompanied Dad.
Some changes for this year include pinning semi's to 3 shots max and a season that has been shortened to 4 weeks in the area I hunt. It means I will miss the last 2 weeks of the season when I leave to attend the SE but I can always drive another hour north into the next region when I get back and shoot their last 2 weekends.
There is nothing like sitting on the harbour at first light on opening day and hearing the whistling wings of ducks in flight overhead while waiting for the clock to reach 6.30am which is the legal start time.
Been that busy with the film crew all week I havent even begun to get ready...But, a quick glance in the shed showed that everything was put away properly last year so its just a matter of dragging the dekes ( 55 of them) out, loading the boat and heading up to the same place I have hunted all my life on opening day.
This year the tide is high at about 5.30am so we can head out about 4am instead of going out on the harbour the night before and sleeping in the 13' aluminium boat.
And yes, I am just as excited as I was the first year I accompanied Dad.
Some changes for this year include pinning semi's to 3 shots max and a season that has been shortened to 4 weeks in the area I hunt. It means I will miss the last 2 weeks of the season when I leave to attend the SE but I can always drive another hour north into the next region when I get back and shoot their last 2 weekends.
There is nothing like sitting on the harbour at first light on opening day and hearing the whistling wings of ducks in flight overhead while waiting for the clock to reach 6.30am which is the legal start time.
Still enjoying the trip of a lifetime and making the best of what I have.....
Replies
When did you become a movie star? No one told me!
Good luck with the opener, although I know you won't need it.
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
A combined total of 10 Mallards/Greys/Shoveler ducks with no more than 2 Shovelers.........
20 Paradise Ducks
20 Black Swan
Canada Geese......No limit, No season, Hunt them 24/7 with any kind of firearm......They have been declared a pest !!
I know what you mean Jayhawker........The waiting can drive you nuts.
Geez...just go run over one with your bike...they're thick as fleas....
I see....
JAY
Will bring you goose feathers if I shoot any Chris. Will also throw in some Black Swan wing feathers if I get some.....They are about the same size as Giant Canada's.
We are allowed to use lead provided it is not over water. I use lead for paddock shooting on ducks, geese etc.
So.............I guess you will need enough for about 7-8 arrows...........if your shooting skills hold up................
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Just got a phone call from a farmer up north. He has 300+ Paradise Ducks eating his freshly sown grass and wanted to know what could I do about the problem.......
( His place has been a 'No Hunting' zone for the last ten years..........I guess saying "I told you so" aint going to help :roll2: )
Might Knock off work early tomorrow and go deal to them. If Bloodhound sees this post I will take him .........if not, that will teach him not to keep up with the play............:devil:
Just kidding Tony.........
If its a cull outside game bird season then normally the same rules apply except there is no limit. However, depending on the circumstances, sometimes other than shotguns are allowed. Did a cull on Pukeko's a while back and because of the area I used a suppressed .22 and subsonics. Was headshooting the birds out to 60 yds..........the others kept looking up and then going back to feeding.
Gotta love suppressors......
Might grab some Paradise Duck wing feathers for you Chris.........they are the size of a small goose.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Got up to the property that was having problems and found about 80-100 birds making mud puddles in the newly sown field. Set up the dekes about 400yds away from them and waited for the first birds to fly in. 3 birds appeared from the farm across the river and flared over the decoys...........3 shots and they hit the deck. All the other birds on the property disappeared.
Moved the decoys to where they had been sitting in the paddock and waited. Didnt have to wait long before they started to return in small groups. Both Bloodhound and I managed to take 32 Paradise ducks before we missed a bird. We limited out on Paradise ducks ( 20 per person) and managed to take 8 Mallards as well.
Total count for just under 3 hours shooting was 48 birds.
Unfortunately we were unable to use the quad and everything had to be carried across the paddocks ( about a 700yd walk one way.) It took 2 trips to get the gear and birds back to the jeep.
Each bird weighs about 3 lb so the second trip back to the truck carrying 16 birds each across a muddy sodden paddock was 'interesting'......
Am going back up tomorrow to head out onto the harbour and chase mallards. Neither Bloodhound or GB are available so it will be a 'solo' mission. BH will come up in the afternoon to chase the 'Parries' off the property again ( if they didnt get the message today).