# Hunting > Game Bird Hunting >  Show me your maimais

## Munsey

I'm out to lake Ellesmere to sort my new spot for a new maimai . Its on private land 1000 acres so plenty of scope and will do a nice job on one . Just want some picks to inspire me in the design and build . So a few  tips or tricks would help too . I'm a builder so the constuction bits no prolem .

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## Dundee

I'm heading over too mine today,havn't been there since the last day of the season.So will get some pics,its nothing flash but keeps me hidden.

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## Toby

I would take photos of mine but you wont see them cause thats how it should be  :Grin:  . Haha jks I cant get to any of mine atm

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## Munsey

> I would take photos of mine but you wont see them cause thats how it should be  . Haha jks I cant get to any of mine atm


You've got a lot of cheek  for a young fella Toby ,! Keep it up !

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## Dundee

Heres a few up at the pond today

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## Toby

Nice pond, very deep?

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## Rushy

> Nice pond, very deep?


Looks deep enough to drown in Toby

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## Toby

I never liked ponds I couldnt get around in with waders. No issue now if my dog learns. If not theres always my nephew

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## Dundee

Yes its deeper than gummies and full of eels :Grin:

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## Munsey

Nice pond ! . Wouldn't want to be smoking in your hide at the moment !

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## Chris

Nice pond ,reckon it needs a few trees ,flax , rapu etc .Just looks a bit naked to me .

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## Bryan

We have a few ponds on the farm that we shoot but the images below are of the main one (400 yards from the house). We can fit 3 shooters out the main window and there are a couple of other gaps that we can cover the rest of the pond. All we did was build a platform and roof under a Swamp Cyprus and let nature do the rest. The timber will need replacing in the next year or so as its started to get tired. The ducks don't even know we are in there most of the time so it makes for very good shooting.

Our Main Pond:


Close up of maimai from the front:


From the back (under the tree):


View from inside the maimai overlooking the pond:

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## Toby

Very nice

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## Munsey

Superb !

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## Dundee

A good one Bryan

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## Shootm

Haven't got any pics other than the back wall....

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## Munsey

Almost all drakes ? . Nice back wall !

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## Dundee

Bloody hell Shootm thats an impressive wall and all drakes :Cool:  :Thumbsup:

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## Shootm

> Almost all drakes ? . Nice back wall !



All Drakes :Have A Nice Day:

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## Munsey

> All Drakes


Yes my bad , thought one was a hen  .

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## Dundee

> Yes my bad , thought one was a hen  .


Southerners :Yaeh Am Not Durnk:    I'll keep you on Munsey when I get my boarding pass on the roos thou :Grin:

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## Munsey

Sweet as .

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## Lindsay Barnett



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## Duxbac

It looks as if you have yourself a neat little bunker there and a great spot Lindsay.Also it looks like u dont need any camo around it as well.It has been up for a while by the look of it, and the ducks must be used to it. :36 1 11:

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## Duxbac

Here is my mai mai that hasn't been grassed up and my mate Sammie trying it out as well.

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## Duxbac

Grassed up with some birds

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## Lentil

I can just imagine Sammie the lab leaving a trail of blood and clawmarks over you as he exits the layout blind when you fire a shot!!

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## Duxbac

Sammie dosen't sit with me in the laydown when shooting.I have her a little way back from me in case ur wondering.And no I didn't shoot the battern,it was broken off at the knot.

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## Duxbac

Hey Lentil you beat me before i could reply to my last post, in case people thought that.I'm too long in the tooth for that stupidness. :Wtfsmilie:

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## Lentil

Oh I see

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## Lentil

Oh I see!

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## sakokid

outstanding natural cover. looks good. you lot must do well.

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## Lindsay Barnett

It has up for a long time, The farm was sold last year and the new owner has given it to me i am very very grateful

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## Dundee

Great neighbours are truley appreciated Lindsay my main pond is 2k from home on a mates property it takes 30 mins on quad thru her place and 10 thru the neighbours. :Have A Nice Day:

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## Wirehunt

Chippy eh.

Standard requirement's.
Somewhere to park (either boat or bike)
Cooking area
dog spot
Room for visitors
Early warning system for rangers (a big enough pack normally covers this)
Covered in LOCAL cover.

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## Toby

My favorite little pond is behind my neighbors house be lucky to be 100m away from them. Hes a good cunt.

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## R93

I never build or use a mai mai for ducks.

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## Wirehunt

We're talking about the ones that fly R93, not the old ones you pick up at the pub.

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## 7mmsaum

> We're talking about the ones that fly R93, not the old ones you pick up at the pub.


Will hens swoon around a Gander?

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## R93

I have told you's before.........I have a face for radio. I couldnt pick up a  bag lady with a horendous sex addiction :Grin: 

Ha Ha no one has yet picked up on the inaccauracy of my no Mai Mai post :Grin: 
I dont use a mai mai when shooting ducks normally especially around the coast.

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## Wirehunt

Cause your's is flying....

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## R93

> Cause your's is flying....


Ha Ha I have flown in a camo D model.

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## Wirehunt

#fuckingpoachers

 :Grin:  :Grin:  :Grin:

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## crzyman

> Ha Ha I have flown in a camo D model.


Sounds even more fun than shooting out of a jetboat  :Wink: 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Munsey

I'm off now to build my mai mai . Got a trailer load of free bent timber , which will be challenging to say the least . Armed with 2 chain saws ( just if one is playing up ) and two nail guns ( two sizes of galv nails )  oh and some beer .

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## Dundee

> I'm off now to build my mai mai . Got a trailer load of free bent timber , which will be challenging to say the least . Armed with 2 chain saws ( just if one is playing up ) and two nail guns ( two sizes of galv nails )  oh and some beer .


Finished yet? :Grin:

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## Munsey

Yes , just needs a door and" scrubbed up". Was thirsty work !

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## Dundee

> Yes , just needs a door and" scrubbed up". Was thirsty work !


wheres the bloody photos? :Grin:

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## Munsey

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD Here goes my humble duckshooting abode. Note the lake level far out it's low , I hope they put the plug back in !

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## BRADS

Mate that's mean but...... The ducks in these parts do like some water  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Dundee

Good luck hunting bird in that desert :Omg:

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## Rushy

Well done Munsey.  don't listen to these other buggers as they are just taking the piss.  It is obvious to me that you drained the lake to make it easy to get out there and so the concrete footings would go off properly.

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## Munsey

Correct rushy but I've forgotten where I put the plug , on a side note duck numbers down but road runners and coyotes are in good numbers !

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## Duxbac

That's the bugger mate, you should get a good shoot then. :Grin:

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## Munsey

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Finished ! All scrubbed up and tagged , also my cylinder I shoot out off ( low lake )

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## Munsey

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HDI lost the photo somehow , any way here it is . Need some freaking rain , that lake is way low

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## Dundee

Munsey mate you have been fooled again :Pacman:  No water yet an you fullas aren't allowed to shoot :Grin:

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## Bonecrusher

Side on view





Out the front






Looking back down the water towards the maimai

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## Dundee

you got it sweet bone crusher :Yum:

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## Lindsay Barnett

door on

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## Happy

Ma and 30CALTERRY (THE MIDGET) Spent a couple of days on the addition to the mai mai on the home pond in the weekend. Along with couple boxes cold liquid. We finished the sky tower.. Built painted , tee treed and slowly it will become invisible.
Its a fairly young pong sorta three four years old totally man made by the two of us with the odd bit of help here and there  all the plantings have been done by us as well.
Ponds full of water after 20 mm rain on saturday evening so we re all good for hopefully some ducks but have to confess from watching 3 to 400 per night we ve seen not a thing in the last two to three weeks. Social event may be the call he he ..

Take some pics tonight and post them up here so you can take a look. Heres a couple of the pond I ll snap couple of the mai mai tonight. though . ... Small pond but I reckon reasonably well presented ....

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## gsp follower

> Tēnā Koutou Katoa,
> 
> 
> 
> The average level of the lake as recorded on Thursday 28 March was 0.55m
> 
> 
> 
> The lake is CLOSED to the sea.
> ...


this might explain a lot munsey:yuush
that looks suspiciously like embankment end of town watch out for swan holes :Wtfsmilie:

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## Toby

Right, got out of hospital last night so on a mission today which was a little hard with mum busy and dad at work. first was to go fishing but the bars blocked and the river is high as but has a try that was shit house walked home had a huge rest then went to my duck pond cried for a good 20min. nah I didnt but fucking crap as but did see these 2 pukekos and a wounded plover my uncle shot running around. also 2 parries got my decoys off the pond I left there last year and checked the maize which is good so later my plan is to get some crap to cover the mai-mai a little bit and then pick a bit of maize throw it on the mud and sit there tonight see if any come in. I know there are 2 around here some where.

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## Happy

Ours bein a new pond and having no ducks breeding on it we found last couple of years if we call them in they ll come over for a look but stay just out of visibility and not come in to land.
 Ducks flying over in range but not shootable all the time. Hmmmmmmmmmm
 So we built skytower off end of mai mai.. We can go up there and sit and shot 360 degrees... Be interesting to see how that goes.
 Tower on left end of mai mai. We ll sit under camo nets and see if we can give them a curry up. Got views for literally miles now he he he ..  3 or more meters off the ground 





  :36 1 11:   :Redbullsmiley:

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## Bonecrusher

I've just placed a call to the Matamata-Piako District Council and they have no record of your Building Consent  :36 1 7:

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## Toby

Show some pics of the inside.

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## Happy

> I've just placed a call to the Matamata-Piako District Council and they have no record of your Building Consent


Request had tee tree on it   IE. invisible as bro !

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## Bonecrusher

No handrail on the staircase  and the rise + going should not exceed 300mm? The infringement notice $5000 is in the mail your have 28 days right of appeal 

Many Thanks

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## Happy

> No handrail on the staircase  and the rise + going should not exceed 300mm? The infringement notice $5000 is in the mail your have 28 days right of appeal 
> 
> Many Thanks


No the rise was going so all good  50 + mtrs from boundary (brewery) so all ok as they checkered it out Anyway chqs in the mail and promise won,t come        In your. To annoy you !!!   New mods include tramp at bottom and hooker at top surely that's exceeds all requirements ??

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## Bonecrusher

> No the rise was going so all good  50 + mtrs from boundary (brewery) so all ok as they checkered it out Anyway chqs in the mail and promise won,t come        In your. To annoy you !!!   New mods include tramp at bottom and hooker at top surely that's exceeds all requirements ??


Come in my what look keep that sort of behaviour to the other side of the Kaimai's,  listen what you do in the privacy of your cowshed can stay in your cowshed

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## kotuku

all ellesmere shooters may have to resort to bloody driveby if this keeps up.munsey ,put a bar in ,shes as dry as a goanna in a wheel rut ,so the ducks and us could all do w :Thumbsup: ith a cold ale or four!

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## Rushy

> all ellesmere shooters may have to resort to bloody driveby if this keeps up.munsey ,put a bar in ,shes as dry as a goanna in a wheel rut ,so the ducks and us could all do with a cold ale or four!


There is a short term business opportunity there Kotuku.  Mobile bar and brasserie during opening weekend.

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## kotuku

yeah well had a mooch round the rakaia today.lotsa canadas .mallards on the wing .had a juvenile canada drop in to say hello to my floater geese dekes-hes stayed dropped and is hanging in ma shed awaiting breasting-hmm  tender young canads breast &thick gravy!! so populations in local canterbury appear reasonable at this point.

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## kotuku

> There is a short term business opportunity there Kotuku.  Mobile bar and brasserie during opening weekend.


yeah mate bloody camel racing between shots if the lake bed gets any drier.outfit the place with a TAB as well.

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## gadgetman

> all ellesmere shooters may have to resort to bloody driveby if this keeps up


I can confirm that this is not quite viable at the moment. Both vehicles stuck.  :15 8 212: 

Still, set up a new maimai and tagged another abandoned one nearby as a backup. Think the old battle wagon is about twice as heavy now as it was when I went out this morning.

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## Dundee

That must be one big lake Gadget so has it a bit more water in than when Munsey took the pics of his mai mai?

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## gadgetman

No improvement Dundee. We drove the same route we walked last season. The water last season was keeping the fellas cool in the thigh waders, at the moment the track is basically dry. The sooner that bar gets set up, and the loos drained to the lake, the better.

Thinking of building a couple of these. Plywood Boat, how to build a one sheet plywood boat GardenFork.TV - YouTube Could use them to drag/float the gear out then use them as layout blinds. Could do a camo paint job, or paint them grey and use black polythene as a cover so they look like water troughs.

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## kotuku

latest from Ecan(firday 05/04/2013) is mean water depth is 0.55mtres over an area of 180sq kms.yes gents shes a big duckpond. did a spot of maimaiing down the rakaia yesterday and bugger me a fat juvenile canada dropped in to commence a bit of avian horizontal tango with me floater decoys.he stayed dropped coutersy of my mates and hes just dropped down me throat with luvly spud topping and rich sauce.yeeesssss i love this organic meat.river was a little high -obviously runoff from the alps ,but good news plenty of birds buggerising about.
 no mrs piggy wasnt home but we sure as hell saw where the porky gardeners had been bloody hard at work.their day will come. :Thumbsup:

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## Lindsay Barnett

pond at 5.45 tonight

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## Munsey

Man that's a nice pond , plenty of ducks on it too .

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## MassiveAttack

> No improvement Dundee. We drove the same route we walked last season. The water last season was keeping the fellas cool in the thigh waders, at the moment the track is basically dry. The sooner that bar gets set up, and the loos drained to the lake, the better.
> 
> Thinking of building a couple of these. Plywood Boat, how to build a one sheet plywood boat GardenFork.TV - YouTube Could use them to drag/float the gear out then use them as layout blinds. Could do a camo paint job, or paint them grey and use black polythene as a cover so they look like water troughs.


Just get a decoy sled from cabelas.  It will end up lighter than the plywood and probably no more expensive than buying the sheet of plywood.  I wouldn't leave home without my decoy seld.  Very handy for carrying a decent bag of swans or geese out in as well.  A bigger sled is better as long as you can fit it in your vehicle.

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## Lindsay Barnett

at the moment first weekend in May is the one that counts

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## Dundee

Looking good Lindsay Barnett I bet those harvested paddocks will be a blessing :Thumbsup:

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## Lindsay Barnett

yes i am not complaning

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## gadgetman

> Just get a decoy sled from cabelas.  It will end up lighter than the plywood and probably no more expensive than buying the sheet of plywood.  I wouldn't leave home without my decoy seld.  Very handy for carrying a decent bag of swans or geese out in as well.  A bigger sled is better as long as you can fit it in your vehicle.


Too late, pretty much just need to screw and glue it together. I'm after something that is bigger and more versatile than the sled. All the materials have been sitting in my garage for years. I could easily just pop a couple on the roof rack, or even nest them.

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## gadgetman

Hey Munsey, that rain is sounding good!

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## MassiveAttack

> Too late, pretty much just need to screw and glue it together. I'm after something that is bigger and more versatile than the sled. All the materials have been sitting in my garage for years. I could easily just pop a couple on the roof rack, or even nest them.


Fair call.  Never let if be said that I talked someone out of a good DIY project.  With ours we create a pile of decoy bags.  Put the sled upside down over it.  Put the camo net over that and then put it behind one of the blinds and it basically disappears.

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## gadgetman

> Fair call.  Never let if be said that I talked someone out of a good DIY project.  With ours we create a pile of decoy bags.  Put the sled upside down over it.  Put the camo net over that and then put it behind one of the blinds and it basically disappears.


I want it for more than just bird hunting. It will be used as a shallow draught canoe and would be OK as a roof box as well.

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## Munsey

> Hey Munsey, that rain is sounding good!


Yeh it's flooded my job site , got a concrete truck stuck up to it's axels , what a mess !  Yes the silver lining is lake levels may rise . More predicted too

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## kotuku

munsey-if ya got any spare concrete drop it in ellesmere too,might help raise the bloody level a little faster. i look forward to Hon gadget(member for DIY)sveltley sliding across the lakebed in his new plywood pontoon..like yon vessels of old prehaps one of your mighty goose decoys coulddecorate the prow old chap.

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## gadgetman

> munsey-if ya got any spare concrete drop it in ellesmere too,might help raise the bloody level a little faster. i look forward to Hon gadget(member for DIY)sveltley sliding across the lakebed in his new plywood pontoon..like yon vessels of old prehaps one of your mighty goose decoys coulddecorate the prow old chap.


Might have to use a head from a std one, with the super magnum I wouldn't be able to see where I'm going.

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## gadgetman

> Yeh it's flooded my job site , got a concrete truck stuck up to it's axels , what a mess !  Yes the silver lining is lake levels may rise . More predicted too


A bit more barrow work, take it that it got stuck on the way in?

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## kotuku

should you lose direction old boy ,imsure you'llbe told where to go :ORLY: we must catch up sometime.

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## MassiveAttack

That is a fantastic mai mai.

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## gadgetman

There are some birds about  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Rushy

> There are some birds about


Wow where is a shotgun when you need one?

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## BRADS

Here's ours last week :Have A Nice Day: 
Pond about half full,  heaps of maze been feed about 100 ducks a night going in :Have A Nice Day:

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## Toby

Looks like a nice spot there.

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## Dundee

Its greened up a bit Brads,looks good.

Jee theres some ducks there GM is lake elle filling up.

10 days ..13hours..26 minutes to go :Grin:

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## gadgetman

> Its greened up a bit Brads,looks good.
> 
> Jee theres some ducks there GM is lake elle filling up.
> 
> 10 days ..13hours..26 minutes to go


That was just a couple of the groups, and only armed with a hammer, staple gun and hand saw. Think it had gained 20mm since last trip, only really needs about another 400mm or so.

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## kotuku

gadget-last i heard from Doc via gspfollower was it was sitting at 0.61m mean depth.opening depth is defined as 1.13 m so a ways to go yet.

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## gadgetman

Yes kotuku, but 400 will get us all well within steel slingin' range.

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## kotuku

Hmmm-the only facotr again us though is time old chap,its gettin pretty short.

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## Dundee

> Hmmm-the only facotr again us though is time old chap,its gettin pretty short.


Tick tok tick tok     Countdown to 4. Mai 2013 06:30 in Auckland

Hope you fullas have other options if you don't get a good dose of rain.

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## gadgetman

> Tick tok tick tok     Countdown to 4. Mai 2013 06:30 in Auckland
> 
> Hope you fullas have other options if you don't get a good dose of rain.


The forecasters keep saying rain, but most days it seems to miss us. Even with what we've had the level only rose something like 20mm in two or three weeks.

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## kotuku

agh bugger it ,neccesity is the mother of invention ,and optimism is still tax free ,so whatever happens were bound to get a few!!

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## gadgetman

Indeed matey. I'm already working on plan C.

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## Dundee

Well  C'mon Munsey ,Gadgetman and Kotuku if that big bloody lake doesn't fill up do we have too entertain you in the North with the Dundee robo duck?

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## Munsey

I want fine weather to chase the uplands now  ! Not too hung up on low lake . We will get some good shooting idsay when the lake gets high again later in season .

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## kotuku

dunno dundee would we have to bring our own eels.???would Mrs Dundee want three fine specimens such as us to inhabit your patch.no,thanks for the offer bud but we've all got various options looming.

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## gadgetman

> dunno dundee would we have to bring our own eels.???would Mrs Dundee want three fine specimens such as us to inhabit your patch.no,thanks for the offer bud but we've all got various options looming.


Certainly do. Plan C is coming along nicely. If the mountain wont come to Muhammad, ... the portable maimai is nearing completion.  :Thumbsup:

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## kotuku

aye aye capn- airburst DIY81mm mortar is comin along nicely should fit well in ya maimai.

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## gadgetman

> aye aye capn- airburst DIY81mm mortar is comin along nicely should fit well in ya maimai.


You think it will have enough range to reach the water?

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## kotuku

if she"dropshorts well we might have wee duckpond in the bed of the big bastard! speaking of water I have bloody shower thats playing silly buggers so must away and sort it out.

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## silentscope

went down to the lake today and scrubbed up the maimai the wind was blowing its arse off as it dose on lake wairarapa but there were plenty of birds in the air which was good to see, even had a group of mallards land in front of our maimai and within range too!!! cant wait for next weekend. BRING IT ON

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