Nelson/Marlborough Both Barrels June 2019

Island hoping mallards

Jet setting mallard ducks have featured in the bags of two Nelson based hunters recently.

On Opening Weekend, a banded mallard drake was shot on a pond in the Moutere area, which had been banded in the Thames area in January 2017 and had travelled nearly 500km.

Recently another banded mallard drake was shot, again in the Moutere area, which originated from the Manawatu area, and was captured and banded as a juvenile male in January this year.

Above Right:One mallard banded in Manawatu was shot at Wairau Lagoons.

Last year, a bird also banded in Manawatu was shot by a local hunter in the Wairau Lagoons.

If you think Nelson is a long way from home for these particular ducks, spare a thought for the flight times of three mallards which were banded in Auckland Waikato and ended up in New Caledonia!

Supplejack Ponds development

One of the new supplejack ponds being developed.

Fish & Game are currently constructing two additional ponds in the Sunrise Valley area.

We hope will be available for balloted hunting opportunities when ready.

The ponds have been created with assistance from Tasman Pine Ltd, and currently staff are in the process of weed spraying.

We have the intention to plant them out in native species and oak trees this winter.

Plants donated by Wetsbank Natives

Pete Taia from Westbank Natives in the Motueka Valley has kindly donated 300 carex secta plants to the cause.

These plants will be put in the ground this winter in the Supplejack Valley ponds.

And also for planting a new pond on Gibbs Road in the Upper Motueka Valley (which is a long-term project and should be made available for hunters to use in a few years).

Pete has donated plants in the past to Fish & Game, and we greatly appreciate his generosity.

Chukar hunting

The 2019 chukar season commences on July 1, the first time chukar have been able to be hunted in Nelson Marlborough for 25 years.

If you’re interested in hunting chukar, you will need to obtain a permit from Fish & Game, and if you wish to hunt one of the blocks on Molesworth, there are still blocks available in the 2^nd-4^th weeks of the month.

With the first week nearly fully allocated, you need to email Jacob Lucas for more information: jlucas@fishandgame.org.nz

Limited spaces left for Game bird food night

Registrations for the much anticipated game bird food night are fast filling, and there are only a few spaces left for the event on Sunday 4 August.

If you’re keen to sample creatively cooked game fare, supplied by local hunters, email Jacob Lucas: jlucas@fishandgame.org.nz, or call the Richmond office.

Jacob Lucas, Nelson/Marlborough Fish & Game Officer