The cheeky little sods are destroying the garden, so harsh measures have to be taken. Not wanting to go through the firearms licensing routine, what of the available air rifles are capable of knocking over a puke. Any better method of discouragement?.
strathview,
Apr 26, 3:14pm
They are a game bird and depending on which region you are in you maybe able to hunt them from the 1st May. That means no air rifles but you can use a shotgun. Check with your local Fish & Game who will be able to inform you of the regulations in your area. Maybe fence you garden with chicken netting.
tweake,
Apr 26, 3:22pm
as above they are a game bird. however you can apply to cull them as a pest.
oh_hunnihunni,
Apr 26, 3:26pm
Their feathers are really good for trout flies.
piquant,
Apr 26, 8:01pm
I feel for you. I had exactly the same problem. I contacted Fish and Game - they asked me how many there were. We are in a semi-rural area on the outskirts of town amongst other lifestyle blocks with 2 streams in close proximity. We had upwards of a couple of hundred of the blighters that trolled the whole area. F & G issued a permit for 20. Pretty useless really but they did send a local hunter as I said I don't have guns. He dispatched 11 and seemed more interested in potting the hares for dog tucker. Not very satisfactory as I'd come home from work and here he was wandering round the block without any prior advice of his intention. I gather that you can legitimately kill 5 a day within the duck shooting season so that should help. They truly are the most destructive, useless things of all time. Nasty pieces of work, too, when it comes to other wildlife.
sandymrph,
Apr 30, 10:10pm
and their bodies quite good at keeping the eels fat :)
tegretol,
May 1, 5:54pm
A decent 1200fps slug-gun will despatch them. Let us know what they taste like - my neigbour reckons they are fabulous if soaked overnight in a strong curry mixture then BBQ'd on charcoal.
autumnwinds,
May 1, 6:35pm
x2
I was always told you add onion, seasonings and carrot to a large pot, add cleaned and dressed pukeko, and a large rock, just cover with water, and simmer gently for at least 3 hours.
Then, remove pukeko and discard, carve the stone and eat.
boby11,
Jul 28, 4:19pm
I had nine coming around and flying into a closed area and trying to eat the cats food.They have a terrible screech to call each other. So I broke up the rat poison from the supermarket and left it out next to the cats food,The cats ignore it but the pukekos feed on it. Presently I only have three birds
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