Both Barrels May 2023 - Eastern

Above. Right: Above Right: Marshall Jack with his first swan. Photographer-Steve Jack

Many hunters are reporting an excellent start to the opening weekend. 

After a great breeding season, there were a lot of ducks around. 

The ducks, however, were not always where the hunters were. 

This appears to be particularly so around the East Coast, where a lot of the maize has been ploughed back into the ground following the flooding, attracting the ducks away from the traditional hunting grounds.  

All the rain just before opening weekend also provided plenty of paddock water which made hunting a little more challenging. 

Hunters may have to be a bit inventive in how they target these birds.  

Interestingly we are getting reports of hunters doing well in areas that traditionally performed poorly, indicative perhaps that the ducks are not occupying their usual haunts.

Perhaps it is time to target pukeko and swan (in areas A1 & A2). 

Both are in good numbers, particularly in the Bay of Plenty and the former are regularly blamed for killing ducklings.

Upland game hunters should be aware that the Waikato and Bay of Plenty Regional Councils have just advised us that they will be conducting large-scale 1080 wallaby control operations in Kaingaroa during June of the game bird season. 

The Regional Councils are required to consult with Fish & Game but failed to do so. 

We have since managed to meet with them (yesterday) and asked if they can move the operation back so it falls outside of the game bird season. 

Eastern Regions Both Barrells this month has been delayed in the hope that we could give you the outcome of the consultation, but we don’t have their response yet. 

We will post the outcome on our website along with a map of the proposed 1080 operation (click here).

Warm Barrels

Matthew McDougall, Eastern Fish and Game