Auckland / Waikato >Hunting News > April 2008

Geese

It is imperative that every shooter make an effort this year to shoot at least 1 goose even if they never have before. The Wildlife Schedules are up for review and we may loose geese off them.  This would mean that anyone could kill them at any time of year, by any method, no licence required. 

Many farmers with goose problems would undoubtedly use poison as their cheapest, easiest option.  Our South Island experience with poisoning geese is that, they're shrewd birds and every other species of waterfowl comes in first.  Usually paradise ducks, then mallards.  If the geese turn up at all, they're often put off by all the mallards thrashing about in their death throws.  Most farmers don't stick around to see what happens, and frankly many don't care anyway.  If the geese are still there, they'll put out more poison. This is a potential disaster for all gamebird hunters.

We must demonstrate that we can control geese this year especially.  An increased 20 bird limit this year should give hunters plenty of scope to do just that.  The quickest way to become a good goose hunter is to put the time and effort in.  Persistence and learning from your mistakes must pay off. 

Just waiting in your regular maimai and hoping the geese will fly over you is probably not much of a strategy if you've rarely or never shot geese there in the past. 

Goose numbers are highest around the Lower Waikato lakes, Waikare, Whangape and Waahi, for instance.  But there's also growing populations around Raglan.  Fish & Game's office in Hamilton has more information for those interested in where to find geese and how to best hunt them.

Accept the challenge this year to shoot a goose or, if you do regularly shoot geese, to up your bag in 2008. They may not be there in 2009.

It takes a hunter to make a hunter.

Don't forget that, if you take a kid hunting, & take a picture of them participating, then send in the entry form, you could win some great prizes.  The entry forms are inside the glossy Fish & Game magazine that you should now all have, if you wrote a legible address on last years gamebird licence. Our sport faces many threats and, if we keep our participating numbers healthy, we can ward off many of those threats.  The next generation is the key to preserving this legacy. 

Bands

You can now report a band the moment you get it by ringing 0800 BIRD BAND, from a cell phone in your maimai or from your regular phone when you get home.  You can also send it in by ordinary snail-mail but do crush the band down with pliers or it could get squashed out of the envelope.  Banding costs F&G a large amount of time of YOUR money but it only works if YOU send that band in while you still remember when, where & who shot it, and before it gets mixed up with any other bands you might shoot this year.  So PLEASE do yourselves a favour and report it ASAP. If you're interested in helping to band ducks, which I'd suggest every hunter do at least once in their lifetime as an insight into how our sport works, let us know at the Hamilton office: admin@awfg.org.nz 

The drought

Thank goodness the drought has been broken.  Your rain dances have really worked.  But keep in mind that the dry summer also meant it's been a great breeding season for pheasants and quail.  Flocks of the latter up to 50 birds being seen in the Waikato, - the best in years.  If you've not  targeting upland game before, this might be a very good year to accept that challenge, - after you've shot your goose, that is.  It's also one of the best trout fishing seasons in our local rivers in many years too. 

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