By Eric Hazelden, Kerikeri

I started with my Dad, more opening mornings ago then I care to admit. I’ve rarely missed an opening since. Here are a few things that work for me.

If shooting from a mai mai put it as close to the flight path as possible. Study the ducks’ behaviour and position your mai mai where you’ll get the best results. Prepare it early using whatever vegetation is natural to the area. Make sure you can see and there’s room to swing a gun!

Greys were predominant when I started. Now mallards are, and far different! I wear camo paint on face and hands, a brimmed hat and camo clothing. Leaf suits help you blend into the background. Camo tape on a shiny gun doesn’t go astray either.

Nowadays you can’t beat commercial decoys for realism and price. When setting, consider the area of the water, the prevailing wind and your posse. The more the merrier on big water but don’t overload a small pond.

Ducks land into the wind, so encourage them to come in front of you; don’t block the runway with dekes.

Electronic decoys with flapping wings are effective. Mallards can’t resist them. Motorised remote control swimming decoys also add realistic movement to the spread.

Use a caller if you’re good or you’ll only scare the ducks off. An electronic caller sounds great and produces birds for me.

Today’s cartridges are a far cry from Dad’s home loads, especially with the compulsory advent of steel shot. But if you have an older gun, especially one with out variable chokes; get it checked first by a competent gunsmith. Steel is unforgiving and a serious mishap will occur using an unsuitable gun.

Just like Dad did, I’m passing on the tradition to my youngest boy as he readies for his 3rd opening. I always temper every experience with the lesson of safety first.

Good shooting.