Dunedin man Stephen Emmerson has been duck-shooting for 10 years and wanted to share some of his secrets before the season starts tomorrow.
He said there was an art to the sport if it was done properly, from using wires to make decoys seem alive to perfecting the duck call.
"Movement on the water is key.
On a calm day when there’s no wind, the ducks need movement."
He said duck-shooting was a generational sport he wanted to pass down to his family.
"It’s all through the families; it’s something I want to try pass down.
"I want to get a good spot where I can get my own mai mai set up and continue to go back there," he said.
It would be his partner Cora Cavanagh’s second season and her daughter Iliana St Clair-Newman’s first.
Iliana said she was excited to go duck-shooting as she blew the duck whistle for the world to hear.
They would be shooting at the Takitakitoa Wetland in Taieri — a once unproductive area of farmland which was converted to an open wetland by the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust in 2012.
Otago Fish and Game officer Bruce Quirey said the 32ha wetland was ideal for shooting ducks and protecting the environment.
"Thousands of natives have been planted here in recent years.
When someone buys a fishing and hunting licence, part of the fee goes towards funding these restorative projects," he said.
He said duck-shooters should read the 2023-24 season regulations and continue to follow firearm safety.
"This season the shoveler duck bag limit in Otago has been reduced from two birds to one drake per day," he said.
The duck-shooting season starts tomorrow and continues through to July in Otago.
"We are looking forward to another season of good compliance, and a safe and successful season harvesting wild food."
