Fined for shooting protected ducks
A 46YEARold farmer who shot protected species on the opening day of duckshooting season has been fined $2500.
Glen Colin Webber, of Methven, had been shooting at a pond on his property on the RanfurlyWedderburn highway on May 5, the Alexandra District Court heard yesterday.
Webber had shot eight New Zealand scaup and eight grey teal, which are both protected species.
He faced three charges under the Wildlife Act, two relating to the shooting of the protected species, and one of using lead shot.
The Otago Fish and Game Council brought the prosecutions and counsel for Fish and Game, Nathan Laws, said Fish and Game rangers had found the dead scaup and grey teal at Webber’s property, which had two mai mais being used by Webber and two young shooters.
Mr Laws said there was ‘‘initially some resistance’’ from Webber at the site when the rangers found the dead birds, but he had since been cooperative and shown ‘‘some remorse’’.
Webber, who represented himself, disputed how many of the birds he had shot, but admitted to shooting some.
He said he had thought the lead shot was steel, thinking the ‘‘SP’’ on the box stood for ‘‘steel pellets’’.
Webber said his group had had a short briefing about different species before they started shooting, but he had been largely ‘‘ignorant’’ of native species, and had also been shooting in ‘‘half light’’, when it was difficult to see.
But Judge Michael Crosbie said shooters had ‘‘absolute responsibility’’ to identify what they were shooting.
Webber’s case was a ‘‘valuable lesson’’ and ‘‘salutary reminder’’ of those obligations, the judge said.
Webber was fined $2500 and court costs $130, ordered to pay $1182.74 in prosecution costs and ordered to forfeit his firearms.