Lead ban hits long-time hunter

Centenarian Arthur Stubbs, who has hunted for 90 years, cannot afford steel shot for his shells. Picture / Alan Gibson

Arthur Stubbs, who turns 101 this month, has been duck-shooting nearly all his life.

But this year the World War II veteran has decided to pack it in - and not because of his age.

The Tauranga man says he can no longer afford the sport because of new regulations that come into effect at the start of the duck-shooting season this Saturday.

Shooters will no longer be able to use lead shot when firing a 10- or 12-gauge shotgun within 200m of water or wetlands. Instead they must use non-toxic steel shot.

Mr Stubbs, who began rabbit-shooting as a 5-year-old, said steel shot was two or three times the cost of lead.

He would also need to spend about $300 on adjustments to his gun so it could take steel shot.

The Department of Conservation and Fish and Game have introduced the changes over the past five years.

The ban on lead shot aims to protect waterways and waterfowl such as ducks, swans and geese. Shot that misses its target and ends up in the water is poisoning ducks that accidentally eat it as grit.

Hunters now cannot use lead to hunt waterfowl, including ducks, swans, geese and pukeko, on both private and Crown lands.

Lead shot can still be used in less-common, smaller-gauge shotguns because of the lack of non-toxic ammunition, although this will be kept under review.

Fish and Game will enforce the ban, which has been slowly introduced over four years, by encouraging the voluntary use of non-toxic shot, and prohibiting lead on some DoC and Fish and Game wetlands.

Lead has been restricted in the United States, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, and in areas of Australia, Sweden, Finland, and Belgium.

Although Mr Stubbs boasts of bagging more than 60 ducks a day on outings in the past, he is not sorry to be giving up the sport.

He has plenty else to occupy him, including fishing and his sequence dancing club.

Mr Stubbs learned to hunt as a child on the family farm in Dannevirke. "We shot anything that moved."

He signed up as a soldier in World War II, lying about his age because he was considered too old for the battlefield. He served in Greece and Crete, where he was captured by the Germans.

He escaped after several attempts and four years as a prisoner.