I hated doing that job. You prayed for dismal weather on opening day. I never did but everyone else in our group did.
They wanted the day to dawn cold and miserable. Rain and fog would be good too. Bring the ducks in low. By mid-morning though we wanted to see the sun.
I couldn't distinguish between the ducks very well. And on a few occasions I shot blue teal that are protected.
This started to put me off shooting. If you can't tell which duck is which, what are you doing shooting? The others didn't have that problem.
So when my shotgun got stolen I didn't bother buying another one.
You get used to your gun and the thought of having to become familiar with another one just didn't arouse any interest.
But it wasn't just that. I was starting to look at duck shooting in a new light. The men I used to shoot with had been shooting since they were young boys. In the evenings we would enjoy each other's company and they would talk about their hunting experiences.
They could talk all night. About going hunting with their fathers, uncles and cousins. This would include deer and pig hunting and duck shooting.
Everything they shot and killed, they ate. This was not a game to them. They went deer and pig hunting most of the year. And although they enjoyed duck shooting for a change, I think their heart was mostly in the deer and pig hunting.
Shooters, whether it's for deer, pig or ducks, are a breed unto themselves. This is the old-time shooter I'm talking about here. They are fastidious with their weapons and my friends would rarely allow anyone to borrow theirs.
Maybe that's not the done thing. And up until quite recently most of them loaded their own ammunition.
Shotgun ammunition is cheap now, all imported, compared to years ago but there will still be some shooters who load their own.
But my attitude to shooting has changed over the years.
I know that years ago the spoils of hunting supplemented the meals for many families. Hunting skills were passed down to younger family members.
Each had their role to play. And, interestingly, shooting accidents were rare. Hunting is in our New Zealand DNA.
But now we are not so dependent on animals living in their own habitat, as a food source. I know people will say "well, we eat beef and lamb don't we"? And we do.
But I don't get any pleasure now from taking part in, or seeing, the defenceless killing of any animal.
Times have changed.
There are parts of this country where a family's food basket is still in the bush but those are isolated communities.
But for most of us now it's not necessary, it's no longer survival.
- Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.
