Chief executive of the Mountain Safety Council, Mike Daisley, says making it home safe with your family and friends is farm more important than coming home with ducks, following three accidents within the space of hours of the duck season beginning.
A man in his thirties was shot in the wrist near Ashburton around 7:45am this morning.
He was transported to Ashburton Hospital then taken in the Westpac rescue helicopter to Christchurch Hospital.
At this stage, it is unsure if the wound was self-inflicted or from a member of his duck shooting party. Police are at the scene questioning the man’s friends.
He is in stable condition and is being assessed in the Emergency Department.
Another man was shot in the eye in Akitio, Tararua district and flown to hospital, within 15 minutes of the first man.
And the third incident occurred in Waiongana, New Plymouth around 9:20am when a 10-year-old boy sustained injuries to hit foot after the accidental firing of a shotgun. He was also transported to hospital.
Last year a 16-year-old was killed while duck hunting near Whakatane but Fish & Game says serious accidents are rare with four deaths since 1992.
Tens of thousands of eager hunters will be turning out, with good weather creating ideal shooting conditions.
The shootings were a disappointing aspect of the day, says Fish & Game's Don Rood.
"We can only repeat our call for a single-minded focus on safety rules - from every single hunter out there."
The shootings had to be viewed in the context of a unique event when up to 30,000 turned out to hunt on just one day.
"But, of course, any incident is one too many," he said.
The duck population is higher than normal, meaning this season has been extended.
Mr Daisley says eagerness to get started on opening weekend can sometimes get the better of people.
"Typically the first weekend is quite a festive occasion. A lot of people have been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time."
He says while there are basic gun rules to follow, some people may need reminding.
"Particularly it’s around good muzzle control, treating every firearm that’s loaded, and ultimately looking after each other. If you do see individuals or groups that are acting inappropriately, then actually being prepared to say something is a great thing."
Mr Daisley says it's "reasonably common" for young people to go along with adults in all hunting activities.
"They wouldn't be using the firearm but they would be sitting in proximity."
Senior Sergeant Steve Crawford says people need to remind themselves of basic safety measures around firearms.
"These incidents are a timely reminder for all hunters to refresh themselves with the seven basic rules of firearms safety and apply each part of them at all times."
"On occasions when hunters momentarily drop their guard, the consequences can be absolutely tragic."
Seven basic gun handling tips:
Newshub.
