Game bird season opening weekend has been declared a success by Otago Fish & Game, with most duck-shooters saying they were happy with their bag.
Most groups visited by rangers took average harvests but there were some notable exceptions, particularly on the lower Clutha and around Lake Waipori.
"Two duck hunters in the lower Clutha Valley declared it was their best opening day ever, after bagging 40 mallards before midday," Fish & Game officer Bruce Quirey said.
A group of six duck-shooters at an estuary near Dunedin bagged about 100 birds.
Rangers checked in with about 140 hunters through the lower Clutha Valley, Maniototo, Manuherekia Taieri and Ida Valley on opening day and reported an exceptional compliance rate above 98%.
Two people near Clydevale had their firearms seized and received offence notices for shooting without a licence and a few junior hunters using sub-gauge ammunition were issued warnings for hunting with lead.
"Lead is banned from all shotgun gauges for game bird hunting over water," Mr Quirey said.
"[But] the vast majority ... doing the right thing speaks to the strong sense of responsibility within our hunting community."
He said mixed harvest results on opening weekend were in line with preseason expectations and interestingly, only 20% of ponds visited by rangers on the north side of the Clutha River were being hunted, despite good numbers of ducks on some.
"We noticed several productive ponds sitting idle, especially in the Clutha Valley and Maniototo.
"There’s certainly untapped opportunity there for hunters willing to explore new areas as the season progresses [but] it was great meeting so many farmers sharing their ponds with other hunters. Their support ensures the tradition of game bird hunting continues."
Mr Quirey said Otago Fish & Game planned to contact gamebird hunters for their help with long-term harvest surveys.
