Fish & Game Southland general manager Zane Moss said two guns were seized from the unlicensed duck-shooters.
‘‘That’s not unusual. There’s thousands of hunters and we’re checking hundreds, so it’s not surprising that we catch one or two that are trying to cheat the system and get away with it.
‘‘Unfortunately, there’s reasonably significant consequences for that.’’
People who were caught without a licence were often more upset with themselves than with the rangers.
‘‘Everyone knows they need a duck-hunting licence for hunting.’’
With more than 6000 duck-shooters out on opening weekend, it was not possible to check them all, he said.
‘‘If they haven’t got a licence, the consequences are pretty significant for those people to deter others from taking those sorts of risk.
‘‘So it’s unfortunate and we prefer to have 100% compliance and not find non-compliance.’’
In the past, up to 30 guns had been confiscated.
Depending on court outcomes, the guns were either returned or forfeited to Fish & Game which sold them to recoup compliance activities costs.
Overall, Mr Moss was happy with the level of compliance from duck-shooters who had prepared for the two-and-a-half-month season.
Strong winds and rain on Saturday made ideal conditions for duck-shooting.
He believed the annual opening day kill was on a par with previous years.
‘‘The birds are in very good condition. Hunters are pleased to see those nice fat birds and they’re a great, valuable resource that we can take advantage of.
‘‘I certainly spent quite a bit of time yesterday [Sunday] afternoon plucking ducks for the freezer and I’m sure I wasn’t alone doing that across Southland.’’
While the shooting season was a national one, Southland had a higher proportion of duck-shooters than other regions.
He believed it was because Southland residents were well integrated with the rural community.
‘‘It’s easy for people to, through friends and families or farmer contacts or any of the rivers we’ve got in Southland, to find a spot to go duck-hunting.’’
Western Southland sub area response manager Senior Sergeant Pete Graham reported a quiet weekend.
- By Toni McDonald
