Wellington Game Bird Hunting Bulletin - 9 July 2020

Last Chance To Bag Some Ducks 

July 9, 2020

Taking a break to fry up lunch... a sure-fire way to bring some birds into the decoy spread (Copyright Hamish Carnachan)

Hunters have just one more weekend left to head out and harvest some free-range ducks with the season ending this Sunday, July 12. 

The weather is looking calm on Saturday and Sunday but hopefully a good turnout of shooters will have the mallards up and moving around. 

It has been great to see a number of families out on the water over the last week, making the most of the opportunity to take the kids hunting over the school holidays. 

With some rough and wild weather heading our way over the next few days, it'll be another great chance to get the kids out and bag some birds.

Don't forget that there's also plenty more game bird hunting to be had after the main waterfowl season closes this weekend. 

See our 'Tip of the Week' for info on pukeko shoots and where to look for upland game in our region!

This is our last Game Bird Hunting Bulletin for the year. We hope you've had a successful duck hunting season and hope to see you back for season 2021.         

Weather Outlook

Click here for updated weather information from MetService.

Reader Photo Comp – Be In To Win

Hunter have only a few more days to get their hunting images from season 2020 into us and be eligible to enter our photo comp!

Entries close Sunday, July 12, at 6pm.

The winning photo, as decided by the team at Wellington Fish & Game will receive an awesome Ledlenser MH10 headlamp (courtesy of the generous team at Tightlines and valued at $249.99) which will be perfect for helping you find your way to the maimai and set up before first light on Opening next season.

The theme for the competition is 'The Spirit of Waterfowl Hunting' and all images sent in must be available for publication.

Please keep those great hunting pics rolling in. You can email them through or get in touch on the phone (06-359-0409) and we'll let you know how best to get them to us.

Remember to supply names of hunters too, and perhaps a few details of roughly where the pics were taken so we can caption the shots. 

Now That The Duck Season Is Over...

Don't hide the shotty away in the gun safe just yet - there's plenty more bird hunting available in the lower North Island. 

While the main waterfowl season closes on Sunday (July 12) pheasant, quail and pukeko can be hunted right through to the end of August!

If swamps and ponds are your thing, a great way to push on after the main waterfowl season is to target pukeko. These are excellent game birds to hunt, and provide very challenging shooting. 

A good way to get a few pukes is to organise a drive, with beaters pushing the birds up and onto the wing in the direction of waiting guns - think poor-man's pheasant drive. 

Pukes can cause crop damage so asking around a few farms should see access granted to control these birds. 

Upland game numbers are also building in the Wellington Fish & Game region, offering increasing opportunities for hunters. If you'd like a steer on where to go to target these species, please call us at the office (06)359-0409.

Make the most of your investment in a game bird hunting licence and extend your shooting through to the the end of August!        

- By Fish & Game officer Hamish Carnachan

'Go For Green'

Just a reminder that Wellington Fish & Game is challenging hunters to "go for green” and let the hens pass for the last few days of the season.

Hunters take approximately 30% of hens in a single season! For each one of these hens that is shot, we lose a brood of ducklings for the following season and subsequently have fewer ducks to hunt... Think about that.

So, because this year the season was extended to account for the delayed start, we encourage hunters to only shoot green-heads for the remainder of the waterfowl season.

Want to improve your pond?

Creating a wetland, or simply want to improve your pond to attract more ducks? We're here to help!

Wellington Fish & Game offers a range of advice and assistance for hunters and landowners who want to create wetlands.

No matter how large or small your pond project, we'll help where we can because any new wetland is valuable habitat and refuge for waterfowl!

We can even provide advice about how to apply for funding from the Game Bird Habitat Trust which could help see your vision turn to reality.

If you want to talk about your wetland project ideas, give the Wellington Fish & Game team a call on (06)359 0409.

Noticeboard

Lake Wairarapa hunting stands

Lake Wairarapa Hunters are reminded that we need photos of their maimais as requested.

Please email these into us with your stand number and, if possible, GPS coordinates.

Thanks to those hunters who have already been in contact.

JK Donald Block Access

Access to the JK Donald Block is now closed for the season due to farming operations.

There are still great hunting opportunities on public land adjacent to Lake Wairarapa, including Matthews and Boggy Pond, Lake Domain and other spots.

If you would like info on where you can hunt, please contact us.

Upland Game Hunting

Hunting in the Manawatu coastal forests is now closed for the season. However there is still hunting available in the riverbeds of the larger rivers such as the Rangitikei and to a lesser extent the Ruamahanga.

For more details on upland game hunting opportunities in the Wellington Fish & Game region please call us at the office (06)359-0409.

Don't Forget Those Bird Bands

Please get band details into us for any birds you've harvested carrying this precious metal.

By all means, keep the band, but the details are really important for us in terms of providing information we use for the management of mallards in the lower North Island.

Band info can be emailed to us or use the free-phone number 0800 BIRD BAND.