In 2020 Terry got in touch because of an article in Coast and Country. The birds roosted along the Waihou River; banks were steep and recovery was not good. This time we decided to target the big males to keep them from falling in the river. It worked for the most part but we only recovered 22 of 56 shot. On the bright side, we recovered 10 large males and a bunch of hens. It was well worth the trip from Whakatane. The 52 possums we shot should make a difference too!
We did get one melanistic peacock, which is pretty rare. Unfortunately, it had too much damage to go to the taxidermist. The pelt and forewing feathers will sell for good money.
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