A new "duck lodge" on a farm at the foot of Maungatua had its grand opening today.
Father and son Colin and Michael Duncan, waited for daybreak to christen their new mai mai "duck lodge" on their 16ha sheep and beef farm at Woodside.
On opening morning of the season, the men exited the two doors in the mai mai to enter the "shooting gallery".
As shotguns point skywards, faithful 7-year-old dog Duke waited for the signal to jump into the pond from his own door in the gallery.
As smoke drifted from gun barrels, Duke would then fetch fallen waterfowl, as his owners retreated to the comforts of the lodge.
These include a recliner chair, a lounge suite, a gas heater, gas cooker and barbecue. A dishwasher door had been attached to a wall in the mai mai for aesthetics.
About 8am, breakfast was cooked: a mix of venison, whitebait, paua and crayfish, Michael said.
"It’s a family tradition - a chance to catch up and socialise."
The strong wind, which has been hammering the farm this week, hopefully, would stay, Michael said.
"It helps keep the birds around. If it’s a calm day, they’ll sit out at sea."
The wind tired the ducks and made them easier to shoot, Colin said.
"They’ve got to land because they’re buggered."
The lodge, about 7m long and 4.5m wide, was made at a workshop on the farm by builders Gerry Mumm and George McDonald.
The initial plan was to relocate it next to a pond with a helicopter.
Another plan was needed after Helicopters Otago pilot Kevin Gale told the men, the mai mai was too heavy - "about two and a bit tonne" - for a helicopter to lift, Michael said.
A 25-tonne digger and a 4WD 100hp tractor were used to move the lodge to the pond about three weeks ago.
About 200 ducks called the pond home.
"We’ve put about 1.5 tonne of feed out," Michael said.
Some of the electronic decoys on the pond cost about $350 each.
The lodge cost about $10,000 and "upgrading" the pond about another $10,000, Michael said.
"If you’re building a mai mai you may as well build a decent one for life."
The cost could seem excessive for a feed of wild duck but opening day "was a man’s Christmas", Michael said.
Hopefully, Santa would bring each man his bag limit today - 25 mallard ducks.
