Thread: Mai mai prep and feeding

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.

Originally Posted by Nathan F

What are the other keen duck hunters up to?

Drinking piss.

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 Wirehunt

Drinking piss.

Lucky you. Im sitting at fuckin work !!

Originally Posted by Nathan F

Lucky you. Im sitting at fuckin work !!

Not doing much work Nathan if your on the forum

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 Toby

Bull rush I think I've heard it been called that. If rapu is what I think it is then that would be something to hide in. The tall plant aye?

This is raupo, a native bulrush


and you can do a Bear Grylls if you really had to by grinding up the rhizomes and cooking them like scones...

Originally Posted by EeeBees

This is raupo, a native bulrush


and you can do a Bear Grylls if you really had to by grinding up the rhizomes and cooking them like scones...

You would need to be motivated to go to all of that trouble EeeBees.

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.

Those oak trees grow fairly quick not like 50 years ours had acorns on in year 5

Right we are officially feeding. Lots of mallards and flappers around. Put 100 kg of barley into the hopper. Spent another hour spraying as the weeds are seriously out of control. Hopefully photobucket will let me put some pics up soon.

We have a new balloted place for this year, and I'm sure Fish and Game look for the place that needs the most work, and give it to us. We have spent 2 days up to our chins in swamp water pulling out raupo, and cutting reeds. Next step is to bowl the maimai and move it to the waters edge (why they built it back 15 metres is beyond me!). They have a locked gate which stops vehicle access until late Feb, and closed again in March, so it's out with the duck punt and row to the maimai. No sense in feeding our spot. It is a coastal lagoon, and purely a loafing spot. There are maimais every 100m, so you learn to deal with the frustrations of shots going off just as ducks are looking set to come in. Skybusters are a constant problem, but we love the challenge. We always do OK, and stay every day for the first week. Thats when we have heaps more fun, and calling and camo really come into it's own. I go to sleep at night lately building the maimai in my head. I'm now on plan C !!
Bring on opening day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Bonecrusher - seems that Aongatete packhouse is missing a bin. Any ideas where it could be?

Originally Posted by Lentil

Hey Bonecrusher - seems that Aongatete packhouse is missing a bin. Any ideas where it could be?

They are actually missing four bins three are full of firewood and one is at my duck shooting possie, all brought and paid for surplus to their requirements when they get past their use by date so they didn't fall off the back of any truck....$5 ea from memory
Bin was the easiest thing to float in so extremely practical as its about a 400M walk with chest waders to my spot instant base structure that fits on the little island