Central South Island > Hunting News April 2008

Attending to Details.
Graeme Hughes, Fish and Game Officer.

There is no doubting the excellent vision birds possess. The eye of the eagle , falcon and  hawk are legendary. But what about the birds we hunt, gamebirds? For a start birds have colour vision, they don’t wear that distinctive plumage for nothing, OK , they’re not as gaudy as a parrot or a peacock but have a close look at the common  Mallard drake in full breeding plumage, or a New Zealand shoveler, the male of the species is resplendent in colours, the poor female of course cannot compete but as the dedicated mother she must wear plain and dowdy garb so as to remain invisible on the nest. “What about the Paradise shelduck” I hear you say. The female goes against the trend. But look closely and you will see that the male which from a distance appears uniformly black also has a coat of many colours. “Why then has  the female a white head?” I’m not sure but I guess that the reason is a very good one and dates back to a time of creation.  If they are ancient tree nesters, because  some still do,  before man and his buildings and his rabbits provided alternative nesting sites, there may have been more nesting in trees than there are now.  Looking up into the branches of a tree a white head is not that easy to see. Try and find a magpie in a tree. Out in the field, black and white looks bizarre but in the branches of a tree, instant camouflage. In ancient times birds on the predator free islands we call New Zealand had little to fear. With no meat eaters to worry about perhaps it didn’t matter too much what colour your head was. If you look at pictures of southern hemisphere shelducks, South African, Australian and New Zealand, there are several plumage similarities, all have conspicuous and contrasting colours. Some of the dabbling ducks however were never shown a colour chart and missed out completely, Grey teal and Grey duck for example.

Canada geese are labelled as cunning, knowing, intelligent. Having spent many years watching, hunting, banding and rearing Canada geese. I am of the opinion that these labels given to Canada geese are a result of their excellent eyesight. American biologists have proven that the “Canada” has vision equal to that of you or I looking through  7x or 8x binoculars. Next time you go hunting take a pair of binoculars and  look at your decoy spread, your hide, foxhole, camo net, whatever your concealment, from outside of hunting range, say 60 to 70 metres. It is little wonder incoming geese, and I assume other web footed species, with their superior and  full colour vision,  will  spot the slightest movement, an unexpected splash of colour or something that is not quite right. As they flare away instead of muttering about their superior intelligence or their cunning, be aware of how good they can see Their cancelled flight path was most likely because ever alert, ever watchful, the flock elders have seen something out of place which usually means you have left some detail unattended. Have a wander around and usually you will find small things which to you are unimportant but to approaching birds are neon signs announcing all is not what it seems. If nothing is often you can usually blame your mate or the dog for moving at the wrong time. Canada geese have no mystic powers, no super intelligence, they’re just looking for any ground based threats to their existence. Nothing out of the ordinary, just doing  what comes naturally, avoid anything which is not familiar. The same applies to the ubiquitous Mallard. 

Canada geese are credited with exceptional vision. American scientists believe their eye sight is equall to a man looking through a pair of 7X or 8X binoculars.

With relaxed regulations for  magazine shotguns many hunters have turned to soft shooting autoloaders.  Auto loaders fling spent cartridges far and wide. While some manufacturers produce their ammunition in hunter friendly colours they still mostly have shiny brassed ends which reflect any light and can easily deflect a flock of incoming waterfowl.

As a riverbed shooter it is common practice to use downed mallards as resting  birds along the waters edge, easily achieved by turning the head back over the shoulder and tucking the bill intro the scapulars. This builds up the decoy numbers and they look truly lifelike. However should any of these show any visible blood from shot wounds take them away and hide them somewhere.  Shot Canada geese can also be used as extra decoys and by taking a sharp knife and cutting the wind pipe at the base of the neck, where the black neck plumages meets the pale breast feathers,  a length of “number 8” wire is passed through the wind pipe and into the head. With the free end  pushed into the ground  you have a life like  decoys with an upright and malleable neck. The neck with internal wire  can  be bent in any form, resting, feeding, upright. A goose being larger and lighter in feather colour will show any blood. Blood stained birds will cause sharp eyed flock leaders to shy off usually just out of range. 

“Canada Geese ever vigilant and with exceptional eyesight  can spot approaching danger from long distance.”
Photo G.Hughes

Decoys which have faded from exposure to sunlight, (usually because some hunters leave their decoys out most of the summer0,  or losing paint from years of being carted around need refurbishing. Of course we use matte finish paint, not satin, not gloss. If you have trouble finding colours in low sheen, or you are not the artistic type a complete repaint in matte black is better than leaving them as albinos or “piebald glossy”.

Many hunting commentators will mention the importance of covering face and hands. While most hunters will wear masks, face nets or camo paint, it quite surprising how many hunters claim they can’t shoot in gloves, so they don’t try. (In my experience learning to shoot while wearing gloves takes a very short time.  Manufacturers produce gloves which are camouflaged, insulated and ultra thin to provide maximum “feel” when hunting.) When calling waterfowl, to gain the full range of notes required some manipulation of the hands is required. Moving hands, opening and closing to assist changing the tone of the duck call or the pitch of a goose call, you are merely waving your birds goodbye. Decoying waterfowl are well informed that all is not well as light is reflected from the hunters hands.

Freshly cut branch ends, right angle construction, (trees and riparian foliage branches seldom grow at  right angles), coloured baling twine, new wire, camo nets flapping in the wind, blued gun barrels, gloss finish stocks, thermos flasks, dogs, lunch boxes, “refreshment” bottles, the list can be long. All have the ability to warn waterfowl of your existence. Why take the chance, attend to details. 

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