Thread: Mai mai prep and feeding

Originally Posted by MassiveAttack

Opening morning is a bit of a strange day for the ducks so even if you have established a pattern with feeding so that they arrive in the morning they may get shot at somewhere else and just bugger off. Feeding makes more sense during the season as the ducks have time to reestablish their normal routines (particularly with the 3 month season in Canterbury) and you are not competing with the rest of the duck shooting population when you decide to shoot them.

Did you guys feed all season last year? I think our feeder ran out end of June if I remember rightly.

Originally Posted by Nathan F

Did you guys feed all season last year? I think our feeder ran out end of June if I remember rightly.

Yes all the way through. This year I will feed more during the season. Our pond isn't quite like a normal canterbury irrigation pond as it's right next to Ellesmere. That means it's feeding off the larger population of ducks on the lake and there are blokes shooting on the public lake edge not far from our mai mai. If you had a pond surrounded by private land it would be easier to manage.

Originally Posted by MassiveAttack

Yes all the way through. This year I will feed more during the season. Our pond isn't quite like a normal canterbury irrigation pond as it's right next to Ellesmere. That means it's feeding off the larger population of ducks on the lake and there are blokes shooting on the public lake edge not far from our mai mai. If you had a pond surrounded by private land it would be easier to manage.

Yeah both our ponds are smack in the middle of dairy farms well away from the lake. The only disturbances the ducks get is us really.my hunting partners farm backs onto the lake. We don't bother shooting there anymore unless it's a hua'n southerly. Too many sky busting dickheads.might just feed right on through this year and see what happens. Last year was our best to date so we are hoping for bigger things this year. There is still Canadian geese on the farm if your keen some time.

My preseason maimai maintenance and planting

Dropped around to my local timber merchant and sourced a "farm pack" basically treated timber past it's best but ideal for some work on the maimai. I had to float the timber in carry all my tools plants better work out than a cross fit class





1st job I needed to level the packing bin up I use as my basic structure a 100x100 H4 post fixed in as bearer under the front of the bin achieved that aim (I have a ply step up that slots on top of the bin I keep a low profile until the birds put the flaps on and then one step ....

I then had to replace the bridge (only used H1 1st time I constructed it) as I don't want an unexpected dip in the lake at 5.30am on opening morning, it is over 2M deep just to the left of this photo believe me I know...





I had paid a visit to our local $3.50 plant nursery so left with some "Manuka" "Cabbage Tree" "Flax" & "Ake Ake"







Oak & Plane tree's planted from last season were both doing well, the ground is so wet that it limit's the type of plants that will survive basic flax does well easy to split off and keep replanting.





I also knocked up a roost aprox 1.8M in length - H4 100x100 post and drove 100x50 H4 pegs to support it. It will give scope for the ducks to pull themselves out of the water sit on certainly enough sign to show they are doing that at present> I will find it interesting when I go back to tag up in April to see if they have been using it.