Duck shooting fees rise 10%

Press, 9 April 1987, Page 2

Duck shooting fees rise 10%

PA Wellington Duck shooters will start their new season on May. 2. Licence fees this year cost $34, a 10 per cent increase plus GST on last year, with junior licences costing $l7. Short-term licences, valid from May 11, cost $l7 weekly and $7 a day. A telephone poll conducted by the Wellington Acclimatisation Society showed the average hunter shot most of his season’s bag at opening week-end. For time spent in the field, the shooter was most successful in the first two weeks of May and the last two weeks of July, and the average hunting day over the season lasted about 2>/ 2 hours. x

The society found that the average duck shooter spent eight days to bag 10 ducks during the last season. Of an estimated 16,082 days hunted, a total of 21,244 ducks were shot in reduced bag limit areas in the Wellington region.

A moderate winter and a wet spring creating good breeding habitats had led to a general increase in numbers of all game species, the society said.

Concern about the low numbers of mallard ducks in recent years, plus uncertainty about the effects of hunting in July, have meant a shortening of the season to two months and a reduced daily limit bag. Duck shooters say the well dressed shooters can expect to have to pay more than $lOOO for clothing and equipment, including a gun. A pair of camouflage waders can cost about $240, a swandri $llO, a good oilskin jacket $lOO, a hat or cap $l5 and a cartridge belt $3O. A reasonable gun can cost from $7OO upwards and a packet of ammunition $l5. For an opening day, $lOO of ammunition could be needed. The shooter will need a stock of decoys, at an average cost of $lO each, and it was normal to have about 10 in case other shooters hit them. Other items such as a camouflage cover for the hunter’s hide can cost $5O and the smartly attired hunter might want to pay $l5O for a carry case.