Few Geese Shot In Drive At Lake Ellesmere

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29893, 6 August 1962, Page 8

Few Geese Shot In Drive At Lake Ellesmere

More than 500 shooters took part in the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society's goose drive at Lake Ellesmere yesterday, but the bag for the day was small. Estimates of the number of geese shot ranged from 30 to 60. From shortly before 630 a.m a stream of cars arrived at the starting point at the Motukarara railway station They were then directed on to Birdltngs Flat, where the shoot was to take place. At Birdlings Flat the men were divided into parties and after a delay while the aircraft arrived, went to their positions. Before they left the president of the society (Mr F G Gorton) made a short address. The society and sportsmen hoped the geese could be controlled by shooting. and kept as game birds, he said. If they could not be controlled by this method there was a real danger they would be taken off the list of game birds.

This would mean they could be killed by anyone in any manner. Mr K. Meyers, of the Wildlife Division of the Internal Affairs Department, and Mr G Mugford. of the acclimatisation society, also spoke

The first shots were fired a: 11 a.m., but the brisk rattle of musketry resulted in only two birds being dropped. The men were placed around a small lagoon Six boats put the birds off the water and hree aircraft tried to direct them over the guns.

However, updraughts frequently permitted the birds to outclimb the aircraft and most of the gaggles of geese split up into twos and threes and escaped back to the lake

In the afternoon two additional aircraft took part, find tactics were changed, with better results. The men waded out into the lake, some of them going out several hundred yards. The aircraft and boats worked in closer co-opera-

tiqn. aided by radio contact with a central station. Two of the men with the ground parties also carried radio sets. As ‘in the morning, a large gaggle of hundreds of geese was put up by the boat, and the aircraft had belter luck directing them to the guns. The birds, however, were very wild and when they did fly over the guns were usually so high as to be out of range. The shoot finished about 5 p.m. During the day the aircraft landed at a field on the edge of the lake to refuel In the afternoon, as the birds tired, they frequently landed on the waler and refused to take off even when “buzzed” by the aircraft. Rangers with the shooting parties and society officials said the shooters had been well-behaved Although the bag -■ wa« small, experience gained would be very valuable if other goose drives were held on Lake Ellesmere. It is hoped to hold another drive soon.