The sound of gunshots rang out across the country on Saturday morning as duck shooting season got underway today.
Fish and Game rangers were out in force, and they found not everyone lived up to the rules.
Opening weekend is a big one on the calendar, with more than 60 percent of the season's game birds shot on the day.
Six-year-old Leighton had his first shoot this year, with his dad on hand to teach him how to hold a gun. From his chair, Dad had great results - bagging about 50 ducks by 10am.
It's all fun and games on opening day until Fish and Game comes knocking to check game bird licenses.
But not everyone was in the clear on Saturday.
"Unfortunately as with every other year, we've got a number of people that don't comply and we've had to confiscate their firearms for various offences," a ranger told Newshub.
The main issues are lack of a licence or using lead bullets, which the group is trying to phase out.
Some of the shooters have good culinary skills going on too.
"Just cook it in a bag like you would a chicken and just throw in a bit of garlic and some orange and some mushroom and a little bit of orange juice," one duckshooter told Newshub.
They shoot swans too, which they say have a hidden secret.
"A lot of people stay away from the swans, but they actually make good salami," they say.
Whatever your tastes, for these guys on the water, it's the highlight of the calendar year.
"A lot of people I've heard say it's better than Christmas," they say.
Newshub.
