The Taieri Plain rumbled with the sound of gunshots on Saturday morning as hunters marked the first day of the duck-shooting season.
Because of the still weather, many hunters did not bag the number of ducks they had hoped for. But as Dunedin man Graeme Scott said, they were "hunting, not shopping". Otago Fish & Game Council chief executive Ian Hadland said it was "round one to the ducks". Fish & Game was pleased with how the day went, he said.
"There were plenty of hunters out and everybody's got a bit of shooting," Mr Hadland said.
Across Otago, the Clutha and Lower Taieri areas were foggy but that was not unusual. There were hunters in Central Otago bringing in bags of ducks, Mr Hadland said. Mr Scott said at the Sinclair Wetlands, near Lake Waihola, he and his cousin John Richardson rowed back to shore empty-handed, but they planned to return in the coming weekends. On Lake Waihola itself, a group of hunters including Hawke's Bay trio Tyrone Robinson and his sons Jacob (14) and Levi (13) had more luck, killing about 60 birds by early afternoon.
Mr Robinson said before leaving Otago five years ago, he built a large family mai mai and returned there every year. Most of the ducks they shot were mallards, with a few paradise ducks in the mix. Some of the ducks would be turned into salami, he said.