Lying Water Spreads Ducks

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31669, 3 May 1968, Page 1

Lying Water Spreads Ducks

An unusual number of ponds and stretches of water lying about on the Canterbury Plains after the recent heavy rain has spread ducks over a wider area and this could affect bags when the game bird shooting season opens at 6.30 aan. on Saturday. Seasoned shooters in Christchurch are not seriously concerned about this and the publicity officer of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society (Mr J. P. Glasson) thinks the season will be a good one. For many shooters today will be busy. Apart from checking guns and water-proof clothing, they have to stake claims and miamias have to

be prepared. Some shooters use the same miamias each season but most of them will have to be repaired today. Most shooters consider the great increase in ponds will not be a problem. “The ducks always return to the same haunts where there is plenty of food for them,” one shooter said yesterday. The main concern is the v eather. According to the Meteoroligcal Office at Harewooo, it should be ideal for duck shooting on Satur- - day. A southerly wind is fore- ■ cast and skies are likely to . be overcast. If the wind is a gusty, as seems possible, it win help to keep the birds > in the air. The level of Lake Eliesi mere will be lower than usual and some shooters may be ' forced to move their miamias. i The Catchment Board recently opened the lake to the sea ■ because of the threat of flooding after the storm.

The storm killed many black swans on the lake, although recent inspections by Acclimatisation Society rangers showed that there were still hundreds left. No limit bag has been placed on the black swans and shooters will be able to shoot as many Canada geese and chukor as they like. .The greatest shooting restriction is on the pheasant A limit of one a day has been set by the Acclimatisation Society and the season for cock pheasants lasts only six days, ending on May 10. The recent controversy over the pukeko has resulted in the approval of a split bag. Shooters will be. permitted to take three head from south of the Ashley River, but only one head from north of the river. Ducks are in several categories. The limit for the common grey duck has been set at 10. The limit for mallard

females, is the same but the drake, an aggressive bird which is a good breeder, has a limit of 15 a day. The limit bag for spoonbill ducks is five, and for the paradise duck, three. However, the regulations on shooters’ licences place a limit of 10 on a mixed bag with the qualification that five extra mallard drakes can be shot. This allows a shooter a maximum of 15 birds a day. The shooting seasons for the best known types of game birds, with limit bags in parenthesis, are:— Grey duck (10), Spoonbill duck (5), mallard female (10), mallard drake (15), paradise duck (3), May 4 to June 3; Canada geese (no limit), black swan (no limit), Californian quail, chukor (no limit), May 4 tv July 28; pukeko (3 south of Ashley River, 1 north of Ashley River), May 4 to June 3; cock pheasant (1), May 4 to May 10.