Hunters stick to the rules

The opening of the waterfowl season varied in the Bay of Plenty with some hunters getting close to their limit and others failing to down a bird.

Fish and Game issued one infringement notice during the weekend and police received a few complaints but no arrests were made in the region.

Eastern Region’s senior fish and game officer Matt McDougall says fine weather was far from ideal for the opening, and things were pretty tough in the central Bay of Plenty.

“Some hunters did well in the coastal reserves,” says Matt.

“Most experienced hunters accept the pursuit has its swings and roundabouts where bags are concerned and often content to go away with a couple of birds.”

Fish and Game interviewed some hunters in the coastal Bay of Plenty that went home before lunch with their bag limits.

Matt says they were looking forward to seeing what the rest of the waterfowl season would bring.

“Fish and Game wants to hear from hunters who harvest any birds with leg bands – by writing, phoning or emailing with details of the bird and its band number.

“We also want any information on any birds shot which have a radio transmitter fitted as part of an earlier tracking study.”