Around the districts

Press, 18 April 1979, Page 21

Around the districts

Mr Caithness also made specific comments about Acclimatisation Society districts—

NELSON: 1978 saw the fest opening week-end bag for 11 years and the second highest total bag. But Nelson is not a good shooting area compared with the rest of New Zealand and the semi-drought reduced shooting on private ponds. An increase in the populations of mallards and paradise ducks has led to an increase in the limit for the latter. MARLBOROUGH: Each of the last six seasons has been better than the previous one. Mallards, paradise duck, and black swans are plentiful, but grey, duck were reported

down in numbers. Pukekos were also reported as numerous and as spoiling the hunting, but they are a problem for the jump hunter rather than the decoy hunter. The only answer is to shoot them as well.

NORTH CANTERBURY: The past season was only an average one, with mallard numbers up and grey duck numbers down. Grey teal on Lake Ellesmere will not be included on the licence, as some have suggested, because the population would soon be devastated. ASHBURTON: Too small a sample is returned in relation to the nurfibei of licences issued. In the late summer drought, farmers fed barley to their sheep

and the ducks soon began following the grain trailers about, which in turn provided unexpectedly good shooting.

SOUTH CANTERBURY: A good season was enjoyed, and the hunting stayed good throughout. Hunters felt there were fewer grey ducks about, but their returns show they shot a record number, which suggests their observations were wrong. The rate of crippling was very low. WAITAKI VALLEY: This district enjoyed the best opening and best season for II years. I he mallard population has boomed but the grey ducks, although their population has been reasonably stable in recent

years, are still fairlv low in numbers.

WESTLAND: Bird numbers are increasing, particularly of pukeko, but this is not being hunted because most hunters have not tried some of the good recipes available. There were complaints about duck shooting by helicopter — a fragrant breach of the hunting licence. WEST COAST: As elsewhere, mallards are increasing in numbers while grey ducks decrease or at best hold their own. LAKES DISTRICT: Over-all hunting was poor. It is good mallard country, with many stock ponds and darps, but the ducks prefer to sit out the season in the centres of the big lakes.