The first weekend in May.............

...........Havent missed one in the last 58 yrs..........started accompanying my dad when I was just a few years out of triangular trousers.

Weather pattern is excellent today for where I shoot, (Hoteo side of the Kaipara). Strong Northeast winds, overcast with real possibility of rain. Just checked back through my hunting diary......the last time the tides and weather were like this, I had my limit within 15 minutes of daylight and shot 9 greenheads and 1 female mallard ( she got caught by the edge of the pattern when I dropped the 9th drake). Used 11 cartridges , the 11th was to finish off the female.
Didnt mind sitting in the boat for another 8 hrs waiting for the tide to come back in so I could head back to the car. Practiced my calling for 3-4 hrs until I had about 80+ birds sitting on the mud within shooting range, then pulled a tarp over my head and dozed with the sounds of birds quacking in my ears.
Went back the following day and had limited out within 35mins of daylight with 10 more drakes.

Going to head to a private block shortly to go for an armed tramp as a substitute. Who would have thought that I would ever go wandering the hills with a rifle on the 1st weekend in May. Certainly not me!

Post up a story guys.......the best or worst opening day you have had. If we cant be there, the next best thing is remembering some of the good/bad/funny times.

Another warm day here in the hills of gisborne, light frost this morning. Glad opening wasn't this morning here.
So how many years has duck shooting been the first weekend of May?

Certainly feels unusual as I should be in the Maimai rather than on the chainsaw doing firewood however, we haven't missed it, it's just been delayed a bit.

Hard to pick out a single event but, heading down south to shoot with the old man not long after we'd trained our Lab. The dog had just got the hang of things and dad hadn't shot over a dog in decades, think he enjoyed that alot and we got our limits too.

Been digging garden. No shots heard. No flights seen.Throw ball for dog now and again.

Strpped and cleaned the a5, just cause.
Would have been a cracker morning here.

Just had two ducks land in our goldfish pond 5 metres from the house.

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Been fencing off a pond in the paddock. Went to town first thing, lots of "parries" flying off cut maize paddocks. Excellent morning for being non-opening morning.

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Originally Posted by bigbear

Another warm day here in the hills of gisborne, light frost this morning. Glad opening wasn't this morning here.
So how many years has duck shooting been the first weekend of May?

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Didnt really pay attention to the dates for the first 10 or so years, my excitement was generated by my fathers preparations. But its been the first weekend in May ever since I can recall. The regs have changed a lot over the years though. 25 bird limit down to 20 then 10. 2 shots then up to 5 now down to 3. Paradise ducks were not on the license back then. Decoys were made by cutting out baseboards, glueing cork on the top then sticking heads that you could buy at Tisdales on them. Oar power to get out on the harbour, the rich guys had mainly seagull outboards or early evinrudes/mercury's and if they were in the hunting group they would tow 2-3 boats out if you were lucky. No camo clothing, just wool pants ( green) and a Swandri on top. No ally dinghies, it was clinkerbuilt timber ones that weighed a ton, SXS shotguns were the norm, a few O/U's and Browning semi autos.

I went for an armed tramp with a armed tramping buddy (who I met on location) Thursday afternoon (with permission from the land owner). Had a great walk, nearly died from lack of fitness and heat exhaustion (had too many layers on thinking I would get cold lol).

But ohhhh, so much enjoyment just getting out there, walking the hills and chatting to a like minded buddy.

Highly recommended therapy for everyone.

I have walked rivers and stalked dams but never really got into duckshooting.
I still like the opening of duckshooting coz it means less people in the bush hunting, I consider it the end of the roar, and safer to hunt public land.

My nephew shot a stag on private land backing on to the Kaimais. He would never normally be hunting deer at this time of the year as he has been shooting ducks with his old man since he was a young fella.

drove through Fairlie at dawn...gobsmackingly beautiful it was...the autumn colours were absolutely stunning in the first light....felt weird not sitting in maimai....perfect day too.wind ALL day....we havent seen that in 20 years of openings.

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Originally Posted by stug

Just had two ducks land in our goldfish pond 5 metres from the house.

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from there to the oven aint too far if you get my drift...:D

overcast here but hot Nor wester -spoke with GSPF-my estimation -out on ellesmere the mallards would be at 10,000"cackling their tits off at our frustration!!
actually not 200m from me a mob of about 12-15 mallards seem to be domiciled in someones back yard -aint seen em in a couple of weeks-hmmm.Might ease some boredom with the duck call sonata in Olt mallard minor!!

Watched a big mob of Canada's fly over this morning, quickly joined by another smaller mob. So by the time they were overhead and in shooting range there would have been 40 birds. My first thought was .... who put them up?

There hadn't been any shots,,,, just my whistful immagination.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

drove through Fairlie at dawn...gobsmackingly beautiful it was...the autumn colours were absolutely stunning in the first light....felt weird not sitting in maimai....perfect day too.wind ALL day....we havent seen that in 20 years of openings.

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must be bloody marvellous place micky d for their pies to be $8.90 each.
I thought the bloody garage lady was jokin.
cant wait till my licence is renewed and can get out
june be better give the vettor a chance to get round and them to get my licence to me.

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Originally Posted by bigbear

Another warm day here in the hills of gisborne, light frost this morning. Glad opening wasn't this morning here.
So how many years has duck shooting been the first weekend of May?

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She was clear as here this morning....wouldn’t have being the best morning...


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Well, it wasnt opening day, but this afternoon more than made up for it.

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Originally Posted by Allgood

Well, it wasnt opening day, but this afternoon more than made up for it.

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Good work.

[QUOTE=7mmwsm;998286]Spent the day on a digger cleaning a drain below my main pond. While I was digging away a light bulb came on in my head and I thought "Bugger this, I could make another pond here".
So I did. Only small, but should be full of water by the time we get to shoot.[/QUOTE

South Waikato is close enough for a afternoon and evening shoot. I intend to start a post when the season starts. I intend to get around a few of the Forum members and shoot and evening with them as a way of meeting them. I have excellent shooting around here and on my pond, in Whakatane its not about the ducks it about the experience, so I might get to meet you.

Oh mate cray on the other side that would be different, Imcant dive anymore so now Im resprting to pottting after this lockdown. I can reciprocate that with Coromandell cray. Thats my next mission after the ducks.

when i resumed duckshooting -I met GSPF over the other side .having read his gooseshooting tales ,I thinks to meself 'this is the go "and I replied .he kindly offered me an apprenticeship which has blossomed into a mighty bunch of guys with very little change.
do i enjoy it Hell Yeah,scenery bar none ,fun bar none ,birds galore ,lots of pisstaking ,but if one goes down the rest stand to!
one cannot ask for better than that!
well boys saturdays loomin -forget covid 19 ,super18,jacinda adern(whose she-a bloody ranger:o) its just us and them wiley fat(hopefully) birdand at the end duckfat dribbling down ya chinas ya sit back and think sometimes life aint too bad.
hot barrells ,good mates ,good dogs -dont get hurt and sat night raise ya glass to the mighty wildfowl.

4 more sleeps :)

Repaired some leaky dekes today using foam aerosol. Will touch up paint tomorrow and try to feed the swamp. No sign of rain around Reporoa so paddocks are pretty dry.

at last look the dam is slowly rising up......the further is rises the easier it is to hide within range.....getting really keen now.

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Originally Posted by Woody

4 more sleeps :)

Repaired some leaky dekes today using foam aerosol. Will touch up paint tomorrow and try to feed the swamp. No sign of rain around Reporoa so paddocks are pretty dry.

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@Woody. Go to a plumbing supply shop or place that sells PVC pipe for irrigation ( Like Water Dynamics). Buy yourself some 4mm 'Goof Plugs'. If you end up with shot holes in a deke, just press the goof plug into the hole and it will do as a temporary repair. At the end of the season, pull the goof plug out, put a dab of silicon on the hole and press the goof plug back in and it will seal watertight........They come in black plastic and are almost invisible to ducks.....Will post a pic if you want.

Interesting. Please do.
Ive used hot melt glue gun in the past too but foam is foolproof; doesnt matter how much the pond piachers shoot my decoys; they wont sink !

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Originally Posted by Woody

Interesting. Please do.
Ive used hot melt glue gun in the past too but foam is foolproof; doesnt matter how much the pond piachers shoot my decoys; they wont sink !

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@Woody. Here is a pic of the 'Goof' plugs'. They come on a plastic frame of 10...Only cost a few cents/dollar from memory. Place it over the hole, push down hard'

The decoy plastic expands to accept the plug then closes over the shaft sealing the hole.

Attachment 140163

20c piece for scale..........

I should make my bro in law buy some...I swear its him who holes my dekes...funny thing is he gets the blame even when he not shooting with us...the bastard!!!!

Cripes. Theyre big plugs. Are they for buckshot, BB's or #3 steel ?!
The poacher holes in my dekes are about lead #6 size :)-- So far !

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Originally Posted by Woody

Cripes. Theyre big plugs. Are they for buckshot, BB's or #3 steel ?!
The poacher holes in my dekes are about lead #6 size :)-- So far !

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Where I shoot on the Kaipara, I use Steel #3's. Wounded birds get a finisher as soon as they hit the water because as soon as they hit the mangroves they are impossible to find. Cant use a dog as its feet get torn up on the oyster beds and oysters on the mangrove roots so sometimes a stray pellet will hit a deke or 2. The plugs are a tight fit to get in, but the tighter the fit the better the seal. Decoy plastic will stretch around the plugs then close tight.
I hang a plastic 'card' of 10 plugs on my duck call Lanyard. Its a simple task to twist one off and fix the deke when needed.

It beats having to remove decoys and stuff up a good decoy pattern if one or 2 start sinking due to collateral damage.......Just lift the deke out of the water, hold it so the hole is at the lowest point, Squeeze the deke to push the water out and plug the hole.

Where do you get these magical plugs from?look handy.

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Originally Posted by The bomb

Where do you get these magical plugs from?look handy.

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Horticentre, any place that sells irrigation supplies and fittings, Not sure if Mitre 10 mega has them .............