Both Barrels July 2021

Hopefully, you’ve had a productive 2021 game season and have a few fat mallards tucked away in the freezer.

See the link below for some tasty recipes and have a look at the Fish & Game youtube channel for further cooking demos, as well as hunting (and fishing) tips.

https://fishandgame.org.nz/game-bird-hunting-in-new-zealand/hunting-resources/prep-and-cook-game-birds/cooking/

https://www.youtube.com/user/FishandGameNZ

With the recent significant rainfall, the region’s wetlands have plenty of water, and with the first ducklings already starting to appear, it’s looking like a good spring breeding season is on the way!

Still time to hunt pukeko….

Pukeko can be hunted in Taranaki through until Sunday, August 29, with a daily bag limit of 10 in Area C and 5 in Areas A & B.

It’s well worth taking the breast meat from pukeko, which is great sliced into strips and barbecued, baked, casseroled or made into game soup.

For a quick and easy way to breast a pukeko, see:

https://fishandgame.org.nz/game-bird-hunting-in-new-zealand/hunting-resources/prep-and-cook-game-birds/breast-your-bird/how-to-breast-a-pukeko/

…and pheasant

Cock pheasant (and California quail) can also be hunted in Taranaki through to 29 August.

To date, there has been only a handful of hunters participating in the weekly permit draw to hunt in the Harakeke and Tauwhare forests near Whanganui, and those lucky hunters have had the place to themselves.

To participate in the draw, hunters need to obtain a free permit from Taranaki F&G (0212700239 or taranaki@fishandgame.org.nz), then prior to noon each Thursday, contact Taranaki F&G to go into the draw for a permit for the coming weekend.

Harakeke is divided into two blocks, and Tauwhare Forest is a single block, all available on Saturday and Sunday only.

Hunters can apply for one or more blocks and/or days, but if hunting as a group, then just one application per group.

Applicants will be advised of their success or otherwise each Thursday afternoon.

Being successful in the draw is a condition of a valid access permit for that particular time and place.

For the Nukumaru hunting area, there is no weekly draw, but hunters need a permit from Taranaki F&G, and they must contact the respective grazing lessee listed on their permit prior to hunting.

Reminder on duck band details

Please remember to send in any details of duck bands.

If you've successfully harvested a duck with a band on its leg, we need your help.

This information is crucial to our research - so please provide as much detail as possible. This is for our records only.

You can fill out an online form via the link below and submit it, or post your band details (not the band) to Fish & Game, Private Bag 3010, Rotorua 3046; or to the National Banding Office, PO Box 108, Wellington 6140, or ring the freephone number 0800 BIRD BAND (0800-247322) or else contact the Taranaki Fish & Game office on 0212700239 or email taranaki@fishandgame.org.nz

https://fishandgame.org.nz/game-bird-hunting-in-new-zealand/banding-form/

Send in your band details before August 31, and you'll go in the Banding Together draw.

Hunting & Fishing NZ in association with Banded Avery has generously provided five prizes consisting of two boxes of Banded XD (extra detail) decoys.

This includes one box of mallards and one box of NZ shoveler decoys.

Remember the 2022 summer shoot for paradise shelduck

Put a reminder in your calendar for the summer parrie shoot, which is scheduled to take place in Game Management Area C (Taranaki province north of the Waitotara River, including all of Stratford District) over two weekends: 26 & 27 February and 5&6 March 2022.

Above Right:Hunters all set for a paradise summer shoot. Photo Curly McEwen.

Taranaki Fish & Game will only give the final go-ahead for the season once the results of the January 2022 moult counts are in but going by recent population trends it’s very likely the four-day season will go ahead.

Contact Taranaki Fish & Game in early February 2022 for details.

Allen Stancliff, Taranaki Fish & Game Officer.