Q How long have you been duck-shooting?
I was 14 when I started shooting the river with my old man and his mates.
Q Where did you go for opening weekend this season and with whom?
On a pond on our sheep and beef farm in Middlemarch with my son Mark and mates Don Andrew, of Arrowtown, Alan ‘‘Shorty’’ Gray, of Cromwell, Mick Duckett, of Brighton and Barry McCarthy, of Taieri Mouth.
Q How many mai mais do you have on the pond?
Three typical mai mais, made with four by twos and plywood and a tin roof, with good soft seats.
Q How did you go on opening day?
We got 51 ducks — which was down on last year but that doesn’t matter because we are all getting older and it’s not as much work at the end of the day.
We’ve got a system and we had them all in the freezer by 5pm that night and then we have a duck dinner.
My son’s got a new barbecue which uses charcoal and it smokes as it slowly cooks and we put a duck in it, along with some spare ribs and a leg of mutton — it was bloody good.
My wife Mary and Mark’s wife Amanda also looked after us all weekend and stuffed and cooked duck the traditional way in the oven.
Q What is the appeal of duck-shooting?
I like the challenge of outwitting the little buggers because they are quite cunning.
