North Canterbury - Bi-Weekly Hunting Report 31 July 2025

The 2025 game bird season has been another unpredictable journey from the intense flooding that disrupted Opening Weekend to the classic wind-blown days that seasoned hunters thrive on.

Throughout the season, staff observed that those who stuck it out despite the challenging conditions were often rewarded with memorable hunts. Notably, Lake Ellesmere offered some excellent early-season opportunities once the floodwaters began to recede, with a variety of successful outings reported by hunting parties.

We want to extend a big thank you to everyone who followed along with our Bi-Weekly Hunting Reports this season. As a brand-new initiative for the region, your support has meant a lot. We’d love to hear what you thought worked, what didn’t, and what you'd like to see next year. Please feel free to share your feedback, comments, or suggestions directly with Jackson at jmeecham@fishandgame.org.nz

To stay informed about everything happening at North Canterbury Fish & Game, don’t forget to follow our Facebook page. We post regular updates for both hunters and anglers throughout the year. You can find us by searching “North Canterbury Fish & Game” on Facebook or by clicking the link here.

Enjoy the final report below and until next season, happy hunting, fishing or anything else you partake in!

 

Final Cock Pheasant Weekend – This Weekend

For those still looking to scratch their pheasant hunting itch, this weekend marks your last chance for 2025.

The final cock pheasant weekend will be held on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd of August, with a daily bag limit of one bird per hunter.

Cock pheasant hunting is a challenging but rewarding pursuit that requires both patience and a bit of strategy. If you're heading out this weekend, here are a few tips to help increase your chances of success in North Canterbury:

1. Focus on Edges and Cover
   Pheasants love transitional areas, look for the edges where scrub meets pasture, along tree lines, fence lines, or drains. They often hold tight in dense cover during the day, especially in areas with good grass or matagouri shelter.

1. Early Starts Pay Off
   Get out early, particularly just after sunrise. Birds are often more active in the early morning as they move to feed, making them slightly easier to spot and flush.
    
2. Hunt with a Dog (if possible)
   A good hunting dog can be a game-changer. Pheasants are notorious for running before flushing, and a well-trained dog can help locate and flush birds from dense or tricky cover.
    
3. Be Quiet and Methodical
   Walk slowly, stop often, and stay alert. Pheasants will often sit tight if they don’t feel pressured. Moving too quickly or noisily can push birds well ahead of you before you ever see them.
    
4. Respect the Land and the Limit
   Please make sure you have permission to access any private land and always stick to the daily bag limit. Ethical hunting ensures these opportunities remain available in future seasons.

 

The 2025 Main Game Bird Season has now Finished

In what seems to be the “standard” of hunter reports on seasons gone by, the results were mixed.

Some hunters had their best seasons yet, while others talked of low bird numbers, and other talked about the “average” season.

What was true for this season was rain, and lots of it. This meant there were lots of wet areas across the landscape which allowed birds to spread out. Even as this water disappeared, because the ground was so inundated, it wouldn’t take much rain for these shallow wet areas to come back. This certainly impacted hunter success in some instances.

 

Recap

The first month of the season was particularly wet, with widespread flooding impacting many peoples opening weekends plans.

Our harvest survey indicated there were a lot of people that weren’t able to go hunting, particularly at Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. This meant a lot of the lake had much lower hunting pressure than normal. In the following weeks, the lake was opened and many of the hunters that stuck with it had above average success with relatively naive birds. As June progressed hunting became a bit tougher as birds adjusted to hunting pressure and available habitat. Later in July, hunting eased up a bit as bachelor drakes became particularly susceptible to calling.

It has come across fast however we have now finished the main season for hunting most of our waterfowl species. The main season includes the following birds, mallard duck, grey duck, New Zealand shoveler duck, paradise shelduck and black swan their final huntable day was Sunday 27 July.

Hunting opportunities do not end here for your 2025 licence however with pukeko, California quail and Chukar all being huntable until 31 August. There is also one final cock pheasant weekend on the 2 and 3 of August (this weekend). Many hunters also do not realise that their 2025 Game Bird licence also extends to the early months of 2026 during the February/March summer season in North Canterbury.

It should be noted that all hunts during the 2025/2026 Summer Season must be completed over agricultural grain crops and/or green feed paddocks and all hunts must be 200 metres from any water body.

North Canterbury has two Mallard/Grey duck weekends in February 2026 on 7 and 8 and 14 and 15 these hunts are restricted to Area B. North Canterbury also has a summer paradise shelduck season starting on 7 February 2026 and ending on 15 March 2026, Hunts in Area A have a daily bag limit of 15 and hunts in Area B have a daily bag limit of 20. Please refer to the North Canterbury regulation book or contact our team if you have any questions.

View the North Canterbury 2025 Regulations at this link here. 

 

Staff Active at Lake Ellesmere for Closing Weekend

Over the final weekend of the 2025 game bird season, North Canterbury Fish & Game staff were out on Lake Ellesmere checking licences and catching up with hunters.

Field Officer Jackson Meecham said, “It was great to get out and connect with some of our passionate game bird hunters.” He also noted that “compliance over the weekend—and throughout the season—has been excellent, with most hunters doing the right thing.”

As the main season winds down, staff are now turning their attention to the final two rounds of game bird harvest survey calls. The first round begins this week, with the final round scheduled for late August, after the pukeko, California quail, and chukar season ends.

“These calls give us more than just harvest estimates,” Jackson said. “They provide valuable insight into hunter success and the general sentiment out on the water and in the fields.” 

 

Alternative Ways to Utilise your Game Bird Meat to Last until Next Year

Thinking about how else to process and use your meat after a successful hunt?

In Christchurch we are fortunate enough to have some dual operator butchery shops that are more than happy to take your meat to get processed into small goods. Talking with the team at Halswell Butchery they often make salamis and kransky sausages for game bird hunters, just remember to check your meat for any steel shot pellets as this can damage their equipment as they are processing it.

Contact your local dual operator butcher shop and see what great small goods you can use with your meat from the birds you have harvested.

 

Taking Your Meals to the Next Level

We're checking out the Fish + Game Cookbook by Angelo Georgalli, a must-have for any wild game enthusiast.

When it comes to game birds, the book features an impressive selection of recipes for species like Mallards/Grey Ducks, Paradise Shelducks, Shoveler, Pūkeko, Black Swans, Quail, and Pheasants. It also includes delicious ways to prepare the sport fish managed by Fish & Game.

You can pick up a copy at our North Canterbury office, select retailers and bookstores, or order the easy way, online at this link.

 

The Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

• Always carry a hunting and firearms licence
• Be safe with firearms and on the water - know the seven rules for safe firearm handling.
• Be an ambassador for hunters - hunt ethically & responsibly
• Clean your game bird harvest quickly to ensure the best quality meat for your table
• Ensure you make sure there is no ‘toxic’ shot in your bag
• Bury waste after cleaning your birds
• Follow the rules

Don'ts

• Don't drink & hunt
• Don't leave rubbish at your stand
• Don't be unethical – respect your quarry and the hunting regulations

 

Weather Outlook for the Final Pheasant Weekend

Wind Scale:

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Saturday 2 August

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Sunday 3 August

Wind:

Rain:

Please note: This weather update is current at the time of publishing. We recommend checking the latest forecasts and road conditions before heading out on windy.com

 

Firearm Safety

There’s nothing quite like the excitement of settling into the maimai during duck season.

The early morning mist, good mates, and the promise of a memorable hunt – it’s what we live for. But a successful and safe day out isn’t about luck. So don’t wing it.

Your maimai might be full of friends, family, and even the dog, making safety more important than ever. It only takes a few simple steps to make sure everyone enjoys the day and heads home safely. Start by nominating someone to take charge of safety. Then, discuss the plan together so everyone knows their role before the first ducks appear.

The safety lead should ensure everyone sticks to the Seven Basic Rules of Firearms Safety. Always treat every shotgun as loaded and never forget – the time for drinks is after the firearms are safely locked away.

Let’s make this duck season a great one. Take the time, make the plan, and keep it safe.

Check out the following links, which contain a range of helpful information from the Firearms Safety Authority and the Mountain Safety Council:

Game bird season safety 
Game Bird Hunting

 

Hunting Notice Board

Staff from around New Zealand will again complete Game Bird Hunter Harvest Survey Calls this year.

Be prepared, as any licence holder may receive a call on each period (there is a chance you may also be called more than once throughout the season). These calls are vital for managing the populations as they give us a great estimate of how many birds have been harvested across the country. If you want to look at the full report from the 2024 South Island Harvest Survey, use this link.

Want to improve your hunting knowledge and skills? Complete the free online Better Hunter courses to enhance your knowledge and skills. Create an account and start the courses at home in your own time. These are great for both new novice hunters and those with more experience, looking for a refresher on some good practices. Use this link.

Need some help building or scrubbing up your maimai to stay hidden from game birds? Reach out to the North Canterbury team, which is more than happy to provide advice on safe and effective maimai builds and how to keep the maimai hidden in a variety of locations. Don’t hesitate to stop in in person or call the office phone.

Always remember the seven rules of firearms safety this season:

1. Treat every firearm as loaded
2. Always point firearms in a safe direction
3. Chamber a cartridge only when ready to fire
4. Identify your target beyond all doubt
5. Check your firing zone
6. Store and transport firearms and ammunition safely
7. Avoid alcohol when handling a firearm

 

Want your hunts to be featured in one of our reports next season?

Send pictures and details of your hunts to be shared with the North Canterbury community to Jackson at jmeecham@fishandgame.org.nz

The best photos for our newsletters should be taken in landscape and should include smiling faces or hunters in action. (large bird piles will not be shared.)

 

Warm Barrels for any game bird hunting before next season!