Media release from Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game

Fish & Game officers seize shotguns,ammo

Auckland / Waikato Fish & Game officers warn of a hard line over game bird hunting offences – after seizing four shotguns and a large quantity of banned lead shot on opening weekend.

The game bird season opened on Saturday morning and runs for six weeks for dabbling ducks and later for some other species.

Auckland/Waikato Region Game Bird Manager David Klee says it was disappointing to have to sieze guns for offences ranging from hunting without a game bird licence, to possession of banned lead shot near water.

All the siezures were carried out on the Hauraki Plains, and in one case a shotgun and ammunition were seized – from a hunter in a maimai beside a pond in possession of seven full boxes of lead ammunition and another 53 loose rounds.

Mr Klee says that as always, “it’s a small minority who are breaking the rules and we are talking about 95- plus percent of hunters who are happily complying with the rules and regulations. We found hunters who were nearing their bag limits but none who were over.”

He says Fish & Game officers are also investigating reports of hunters targeting non-game bird species such as seagulls, after some were seen floating dead on the Waihou River.

“A foggy start to the day is no excuse – targets must be identified beyond any reasonable doubt. We will take a hard line over any such offending, with no such excuses accepted.”

In another incident rangers came across a maimai containing four occupants, each possessing a shotgun- but one of the occupants claimed he wasn’t shooting. “It is an offence for a hunter to have two guns ready to fire – or else one of those hunters was shooting without a licence.

“Either way look at it, an offence was being committed and the old excuse of ‘ I have a spare gun in case one stops working’ just doesn't wash. If you must have a spare gun, it needs to be in a non-useable state in a gun case at the back of the maimai,” Mr Klee explains.

Fish & Game Auckland/Waikato officers spoke to more than 150 hunters during the ranging operation.
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