Photo: Fish & Game New Zealand
Regional New Zealand is abuzz as farmers and hunters prepare for the season "bigger than Christmas" - duck shooting season.
Farmers were preparing to cull crop-eating ducks off the farm ahead of the opening day for most regions on Saturday.
Fish and Game was expecting around 60,000 licensed firearm holders to get out in the wild over the weekend.
Sheep and beef farmer Dean Rabbidge of Wyndham said Southland had come to a standstill as shooters prepared for opening day.
He said it was more exciting than Christmas for most in the region - and he had been shooting ducks for 30 years to cull mallards, paradise ducks and Canadian Geese that destroyed his paddocks.
"We love it. It's not just the actual shooting and getting rid of what we regard as a pest, it's the social aspect of it as well, especially in the year when things are pretty average financially and production-wise, and so it's good to get off farm and do something else.
"There's no kids rugby on the weekend because everybody's duck shooting, they can't get teams and referees and all that because everybody's out on the maimai [shooting shelter]," he said.
"I'm sure bacon and eggs at the supermarkets will be running low on supply. It's a religion in Southland and it's pretty cool to be a part of."
West Otago farmer and Fish and Game councillor Adrian McIntyre said the late grain harvest down his way meant there were plenty of ducks around for the opening of the duck shooting season.
McIntyre said he had not had to feed out on his ponds as the ducks were nearby already, gobbling what was left on his paddocks.
"Last year, duck shooters would have found that the harvest was done, farmers put it in the solos, they re-grassed their paddocks, re-sewed their paddocks, so the food source for the ducks disappeared in a very short time," McIntyre said.
"This year, farmers with the weather patterns, are struggling to finish their harvest and are struggling to re-sew and grass their paddocks. So that gives the ducks time to build up in certain areas around stubble paddocks, flat grain grain that's not even harvested.
"Ducks are now mobbing up and they are in quite large mobs, which we'll keep them in here for the hunters on Saturday."
McIntyre said many were looking forward to the opening weekend traditions.
"We have families coming from all over New Zealand, Australia to be with their family on a day, one or two days a year. That's almost in the same level as Christmas.
"As long as hunters use the meat and give it away or share it to their friends and family, the duck's sacrifice is well worth it."
The Fish and Game council's reminding people to buy their game bird licence and follow the regulations and bag limits.
It was the first season after a 20-year phase out that all ammo must be non-toxic.
Fish and Game was also working to make the event more inclusive this year, opening the first wheelchair accessible public shooting shelter in the country.
The shelter near Te Puke had a concrete path for easy access, and Fish and Game planned to roll-out more for keen wheelchair-using hunters in future.
