Game season starts with success despite fine weather

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 685, 6 May 1997, Page 11

Game season starts with success despite fine weather

Fine weather and light winds generally favoured he ducks more than the hunters during the opening of the 1997 game season in the Taranaki Region. Most hunters were successful, but there were relatively few who achieved limit bags. Hunters who had access to particularly good areas of habitat still did well. Forty-six hunters canvassed in the Raetihi-Ohakune area shot a total of 918 birds on opening weekend for an average of 20 birds per hunter. However, Waimarino hunters said while there were a lot of birds in the air, many flew too high and consequently the fine weather conditions produced the worst opening for many years — such is the quality of hunting in the Waimarino. Rangers reported that hunters were well behaved and co-operative. Altogether, 11 hunters were apprehended for hunting without a game licence and 10 shotguns were seized. In a joint operation with police, several hunters were also found to not have firearms licences and police charges will follow. Hunters are encouraged to continue hunting through the two month main season, as there are plenty of birds about and previous experience has shown that hunter success rates (birds per hour) are often higher than on opening weekend.