By Keith Smith, Sportsworld, Dannevirke

Duck shooting is just like Christmas as a kid. You start counting how many sleeps to go before the big day. You dream of the perfect opening day: a bit windy, bit wet, but not too cold.

But have you got everything you need? Ammo, duck callers, decoys, camp gear? But, you say, you only shoot a couple of ducks, so you don’t need all the fancy gear. In which case, a couple of ducks is all you ever will shoot if you don’t prepare yourself better. The shooter who puts in the preparation pre-season will always have a better shoot. A visit to your local Sportsworld will pay dividends if you ask and heed the advice that’s given.

I remember years ago returning to my maimai after retrieving a duck to see my two sons’ faces beaming out at me like full moons. Any self-respecting duck would have seen us from a mile away. Hence camouflage masks or face paint are a must.

Learn how to use your caller. A good caller can turn ducks from a long way out and bring them into his posse no trouble at all. It can give more satisfaction than the actual shooting! Two basic calls to learn are the “comeback” and the “chuckle” or feeding call.

You can never have too many decoys. This is not a sales pitch but proven by top duck shooters worldwide. If you have twenty you probably need two hundred. If you buy a dozen or so each year you can soon build up the numbers. Set them out so that the ducks have a free area to land where you want to shoot.

This year sees the introduction of steel shot over water. Do check that your gun is suitable for this type of cartridge. Do not use steel shot in guns choked tighter than half or 18mm as a serious accident may occur.

Thanks to market competition, quality guns are now available at realistic prices. So if you are still using granddad’s side-by-side that he paid a hundred pounds for, perhaps it’s time to upgrade. After all, you are not driving the car he bought the same year.

Good luck and good shooting!