Safety urged for Southland duck hunters’ ‘second Christmas’
Christmas is coming round again for Southland in the form of duck hunting season, and this year officials are calling for hunters to have a safe season.
In the lead-up to the start of the season today, Invercargill Hunting and Fishing owner Gerald MacRae said he expected “just the usual trade”.
People would top up on ammunition, decoys and have a geez at the latest hunting accessories.
“There’s a lot more information around now than what there was years ago, so because of that people are a little bit more scientific about decoy placement and they’re watching weather forecasts.”
He predicted the 2024 season would be much better than the previous two years as Southland was not coming out of drought this time.
The weather pattern going into the 2022 and 2023 season was coming off a “serious drought”, MacRae said.
This year though, there had been “a lot more water” during the breeding season, so there was more food around and the ducks should be a in healthy condition, he said.
But the season was not just about hunting. MacRae said it was a chance for family and friends to get together, connect and enjoy getting out and about.
He joked Christmas was “twice a year for us [Southlanders]”.
An estimated 60,000 Kiwis were expected to take part in the opening weekend of the season.
Mountain Safety Council (MSC) chief executive Mike Daisley said he wanted to stress the importance of safety, together with Fish & Game and Te Taru Pūreke (Firearms Safety Authority).
Safe firearm practices were “crucial” with the opening weekend predicted to be busy.
The Mountain Safety Council’s analysis of ACC injury claims data found that there were five types of firearm injuries relating to duck hunting; mishandling the shotgun, the shotgun malfunctioning, a person’s proximity to a firing shotgun, accidentally shooting oneself, and accidentally shooting another person. In all categories, injuries had gone down from 23 in the 2016 season to six in last year’s season.
To continue this downward trend, Daisley urged hunters to follow good firearm safety practices.
Te Tura Pūreke director of partnerships Mike Mcllraith said getting a good bag of ducks and having a “safe and enjoyable day” had nothing to do with luck.
He suggested that people out in maimais should agree in advance to safe firing zones and stick to them, and always point firearms away from other people and themselves.
If there were more hunters than could safely shoot at once, they should agree to take turns throughout the day, he said.
Fish & Game operations advisor Richie Cosgrove agreed.
“When you’re not using your firearm, make sure it’s unloaded, and then stow it in a holder with the muzzle pointing in a safe direction. This prevents the firearm from sliding or being knocked over and accidentally going off. When you finish hunting for the day, unload your firearm and lock it away.”
Daisley asked hunters to also try to stay sharp this season, as the days started early and could be long.