bill Posted August 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 yea ok i really havent got time to read all this ,but it seams that you are on the right track it is a cull and its not only done where i live but in alot of placers in these islands at lest we dont use choppers as has been done in the past on the south islands goose problem swan numbers are up and this type of shooting does not seem to afect the numbers after all its only done once a year and the black swan really do fly very well for the guns with soom amasing high shots being taken the damage that swan do is not much, the worst thing is that where they rosst on the beachers in numbers thay leave there doings all over the place and swan **** does not break down fast ,its the numbers of birds ,its a control mesiure a few swan are nice a lot of swan are messy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 And having worked for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust when I was much younger, I can confirm that it hurts when they peck you in the ********. A lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC Futrett Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 Nice one Deako Getting a bit heated this one...............Ah yes I remember this well in my early days on this site...........upsetting the natives because my sport did not fit thier mould. B) Better watch what I'm saying or I'll be getting banned again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 a rough looking ****** i like that one. but then afew people around here think that to as i like to get out on the water and the mashers when i can, i probley would have made a good game keeper i must say this that on the whole i am not one to shoot alot of birds at one time the swan drive is about the only time that i get a bit carryed away and shoot as fast as i can except for the times i find my self faceing a skein of canadas then i will try to get as nean as i can this does not happen that much as it takes time to work out the birds so i may only get on to them every third time or so that i get out most of the time i shoot duck or upland im a happy man if i get 2 or 3 birds though on opening i like ever one wish for and try to get the limit of duck but that has not happened for a number of years and when you think about it ok theres about 1400 birds taken in one days shooting but thats about all the black swan that are shot in my area in the year as not meany people shoot them in the rest of the seasone even with them being on our licence not meany hunt them even with the no dayly limit upond them also at the shoot there are about 400 guns so 1400 birds do not add up to any varst number of birds per gun i it works out to about 3 1/2 even though some do shoot more than that i dout that any one gun would get more than 20 birds as after the first wave they tend to attack the line in 2s 3s and 5s and its usally only 4-5 guns that get to have a go at them as they brake through and this year alot of birds flew really high you wouldnt belive some of the shots that where taken as the birds went over the top some i would say would have rivelled any high peasent shots any where they really do perform well when diven i think most new zealand shooters are like me and as for that dundee fellow lets say that i as i have been chasing geese and duck for a number of years i have become a sticker for camo when after these birds i think it really helps expecaly for geese i have sat on a river bank and watched other shoots in their hunting blids here they are called miamias and its all ways the face and hands that stick out the most so i use camo face cream its no problem you can not see it youe self and it wipes of really easey with a cloth or face wipes the only thing is is that some other hunters look at you side ways but useing camo means that ican move around more and use small bits of vegation as cover it works so do face masks but i hat them as i find they are ucoftable camo on up land i use about the same as you guys the upland we hunt in nz is mostly rough shooting cock pheasent and californain quali their are some chakar i the south island our fish and game has in the last 2-3 years alowed release phesant and duck as well i think some are trying red legs hunting estates on the lines of what you have in england with driven birds but the main stay of bird hunt here is rough shooting of public and priviet lands duck are the main stay of nz hunting not meany off us can afford to go after diven phesant but that is some thing that i would like to try if i ever get the chance. i see on my sprting gun sproting year planner that i have on my wall that he 12 of august is just about upon us that is the most one thing that i would love to do is to shoot grouse on the moors of scotland as we dont have feral pigeons wood cock or snipe in new zealand i would love to give them a run for the money also. bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 Bill, do your black swans have access to salt water? Swans to be eaten, should be allowed access to fresh water only. These are NOT swans, so people on here should not get upset!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 I'm wondering if Bills gesse are really that big OR is Bill really that small?? :( Nice birds bill....and for my two cents I wish we could cull our swans as they tear up our marshes and destroy the vegetation....another one is the fish stealing cormarants that people feel inclined to protect. Cheers....NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 I think its very interesting to see and read about, the legal shooting available in other countries. I would buy the cartridges for a cormorant cull...........if it ever became legal. :( PS: PC Futrett, you have never been banned from this site , I,m sorry if you have had that impression. Also, you never upset as many people as you tried to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 I think its very interesting to see and read about, the legal shooting available in other countries. Cranfield, several other members ,myself one of them have been looking forward to your comments on this one and to be honest i think you are sitting on the fence with your remarks. When the forum went down for the last couple of days, Bill E mailed me as he thought his picture had offended that many people that he had been banned from the forum. I explained that it was a general problem and nothing to do with his picture but as i and others have made our views on the N/Zealand rules allowing shooters to have an annual cull of Black swans, we were hoping for a more interesting response from your goodself. Just my observations Cranfield, nothing personal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sniper Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 Rjimmer, Nice bag mate.... I make it about 180 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 ernyha, I,m suprised and flattered, that anyone is interested in my comments. Far from sitting on the fence, I thought my use of the word "legal", summed up my view exactly. Overseas shooters can legally target species that we don,t ever see. Some members here do find that interesting. There have been comments in some shooting magazines, that photos of big pigeon bags are wrong. Also, 500+ pheasant days shouldn,t be discussed. That may be peoples opinions, but these things are "legal". All the time they remain so, why shouldn,t they be seen and discussed ? As a voluntary, unpaid Moderator, I am accused of being "big brother" and yet I get the impression some people would have liked me to delete those pictures. "Damned if I do and damned if I don,t". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 Good reply Cranfield, point taken and understood. P.S. next time you pop into the P/Watch arms like you did last night , stay a little longer and i will buy you a drink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sniper Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 Time for my two pennorth. Bill, I have no problem with your pictures at all mate. It's good to see how other sportsmen tackle their shooting and may I also say I enjoyed your very detailed reports. I am not going to be a hypocrite as I have taken part in driven pheasant and partridge shooting, shot numerous bunnies over the years, a few pigeons and helped out at a deer cull. Keep coming back , Bill, and tell us more, please, about your sport in N Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 a lttile about the swans that we shoot you could call them or only migratry bird i live one a big harbour in the north island and every winter alot of swan fly north and spend the winter here gun pressure also puts birds on the big water, so we end up with 5-7000 plus birds in the harbour and as for eating them off salt water i dont think it makes much differance if any thing they are probally saver to eat . the photos of the geese im about 5 .10 and that big goose had a wing span of about 5 foot 6 and lits abit like fishing photos the more you hold them out to the camera the bigger they look but even then thats a big canada for around here cormoants, we are in the same boat as you guys are to meany and protected its an interseting point this as the amercans i talk to think the same way they also have a problem they call them water turkeys we could get an internatonal cull going on them troulbe is all of the ones we have here are native and any thing that is native here is a no go area except for the native shell duck the paradise shell duck with modern faming pleanty of farm ponds and grass there numbers are large and provide soom gret pastural hunting in both islands they are also a big bird bigger than mallards which is or main duck we have mostly amercan mallards here in the early days they did try english mallrds but the amercans seem to be better breeders we also hunt the new zealand grey duck which is a black duck we are only alowed to hunt puddle ducks here no teal scupe can be hunted the best waterfowl hunting is in the south island but there is also great hunting in the north phesants quail are in the north there are some in the south but more in the north island chkcar are in the south its raining here so im doing this most of or game birds have been imported the last 150 years they did try letting go red legs in to the wild but they didnt take to good they also tryed grouse at one stage but they to died out one thing that is being tryed with sucsses i think is bob white quail from the states we do not have the great numbers of differant ducks that you have in the northen hemispher but what we have is good numbers of the birds that we have got i think there are also some grey legs in the south island abut mostly canadas which are all over the place these days . happy reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 Rjimmer, Nice bag mate.... I make it about 180 ? Not mine, of course. http://www.gicountrysportsuk.com/html/page3.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sniper Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 Rjimmer, All my illusions about your fieldcraft , marksmanship, stamina and general good luck , have been shattered. Ah well....we can all dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sniper Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 Bill, How doing with foxes over there ? I know they have 1000's in Oz and maybe some in Taz ( not confirmed yet ?) Have they reached you yet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 about the same time as they let foxs go in the great land of oz they let some go in new zealand this was some time around 1880 they took really well in oz but four some reason they all died out here we do not have foxz amen and i think we are a little ways away from oz for them to swim this far we also dont have any snakes as nz has been flouting at sea befour they formed on this earth no tigers or lions but one thing we do have is the human form of snakes and foxs but i think we all have them nooooo foxs here we have stoats ferrets weasls rabbits and wild cats the things people bring in in there hand luggage raptors the main one is the ausratlain harrer there is a nz pergan falcon but that is really rare the harrer will take young birds so if you are think of buying so land here which is expensive to set up a shoot in your off season im your man i need a new job you can buy pheasent poults here and bob whith quail and red legs also to get a fish and game licence to setr up a shoot you have to release so thing like i think it is 500 phesant it mit be 200 but it is a fesable thing to do alot of amercans shoot this way in there of saeson and they have the money as a reader of sporting gun i know that you can get most of what you would want here but you may have to bring in water feeders so if you have the money remember im your man a farmer orchardist most of my working life i even know how to drive a tractor you can get stoat and rat traps also ect dont you love pluging for a job bill :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 Sorry for my ignorance but can you eat swan? I seem to remember it used to be a prized dish for the royalty here in the UK a long time ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 The queen still has a swan keeper whos job it is to look after the swans at the royal residences. It is a long time tradition, they have a banquet once a year where they cull 50 birds to feed 200 guests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 yes you can eat them after all they are fowl the black ones we get here are a dark red meat some people like them and do the breasts the same way as geese and duck how ever you like waterfowl most i think find them a bit strong in flavor they make ok susages when mix with mutton fat of pork fat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 Sorry for my ignorance but can you eat swan? As I posted earlier. Swans for eating, should not be allowed to access salt water. When one of my grandfather's cousins was swankeeper at Abbotsbury, part of his job was to raise a family of cygnets every year for the table in a small pond fed by a spring. They were never allowed to go near salt water. Several of the estate employees would be given a swan for their Christmas dinner. Some of the local fishermen would also have swan for Christmas dinner but the curtains were always drawn when they sat down for the meal of 'Abbotsbury Turkey'. The meat from an adult white wild swan is very similar to beef from my experience. I have some national grid lines over my place and one occasionaly hits them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 right then im ofto the lakes seasons still open here for them im going after geese in the morning but their on the salt, stewed geese tast and come out alot like beef so we take it that rimmer sits under the power lines not to close i hope as i have seen swans fall form great hights and you dont want to be hit buy one of them things thats the number one thing you watch out for when shooting swan they will sit you down quick get him up before he drowns :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodeer Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 Bill, do you have to use non-toxic shot in NZ? What semi is that and what bore? What are your shooting seasons there? Do you decoy your geese or flight them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 russain 31/2 mp 153 i have a trulock choke in it its an improved modfied presison hunter which i use for geese. trulock have a new web site. we flight and decoy geese here anyway we can get a shot thats legal and ethicly we are alowed to use a mag extension for all or hunting as long as it is the gun manufacters extention ,no home made jobs, i like the russan ok gun for the money a little heavy but good for geese , with a full load and the extention on but i have been useing it for ducks with out it and im getting used to it i got it for when i have to use steel and it works ok. but in resent weeks i think i may be better of with a light 3 inch for duck and then have speant the money on bismith or hevi shot for geese, but im not changeing now and the 153 will do me for the shooting i do for a few years any way with beretta bring new mdles in all the time over bore etc it may pay to wate to see whats new and latest in a year or to. we have to use steel by 2005 on all waterfowl here where i do most of my shooting i have to use it next year most wetland conservation areas had to use it this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryrabo Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 Sounds like a slaughtering match,but who am i to judge. Different people do different things.It's a crazy,messed up world. Each to his own little corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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