Shooters bag little

Press, 17 April 1978, Page 1

Shooters bag little

The weather and the aftermath of the long summer drought gave Canterbury shooters a poor start to the 1978 duck-shooting season on Saturday. In many areas, and par» ticularly on Lake Ellesmere, it was the worst opening day for many seasons.

As predicted, there were plenty of ducks about, but there was no low cloud or rain to bring high-flying birds down within range, and not enough wind to stir others off the surface of the lake.

Experienced shooters also blamed the poor bags on a lack of water and feed in swamps and other low-lying areas. “Ducks feeding over paddocks and other large, open areas are very hard to shoot,” said Mr G. Mugford, of Tai Tapu, who has been shooting on Lake Ellesmere for many seasons.

Saturday was the first opening day on which he had not bothered to try his luck, he said.

“The weather was no good at all for shooters and we will need a fair bit of rain to improve things,” Mr Mugford said. A Balclutha boy was shot dead and his elder brother suffered head injuries in an accident while out duck-shooting at Paretai, in South Otago reports the Press Assocb ation. He was Trevor James Cook, aged 13, of Centennial Avenue, Balclutha. His brother, Wayne Lindsay Cook, aged 20, was taken to the Balclutha Hospital, where his condition w'as described last evening as satisfactory. The boy was killed in a miamia at Paretai about 11.30 a.m.. Police in Balclutha are still making inquiries. and an inquest will be held when these are completed.