Hunters have ball despite low haul

Good mates and camaraderie - and a lot of feather-plucking - was a welcome distraction from a slow start to duck shooting season.

That's according to mates Rick Anderson, Mike Murray and Mac McMullen, who displayed their bag to the Wairarapa Times-Age on Sunday in Carterton.

Mr Murray, who was shooting on the Ruamahanga below Masterton, said the first morning was "very slow" compared to other years, but improved last night.

The group got nine birds that evening, after only three that morning, and another six on Sunday morning.

How many personally, Mr Murray did not know.

"You don't count; sometimes you shoot for the same bird.

"It's a joint effort. It's a bag at the end of the day.

"You have a rough idea, but put it down as a group tally"

Their take included paradise ducks, mallards, two Canada geese and shoveller ducks, which he described as "awesome eating".

He said nothing gets wasted, including the feathers, which a mate uses for trout flies.

Mr Anderson, from the Hawke's Bay, said it is "fantastic" in the Wairarapa.

"It's really just about getting together, the camaraderie with your mates."

Mr Anderson said he is a wild food fan, and not just duck.