Wellington/Taranaki - Weekly Hunting Bulletin 22 May 2025

Sunday Looking Good Again For Hunters  

Wow! What great hunting we were treated to last Sunday!

Some wild winds whipped in with torrential rain for parts, making for perfect waterfowling weather and plenty of happy hunters.

The strong blow combined with flooded rivers saw mallards dislodged from their refuge areas and moving around for much of the day, with good bird numbers seen out on flooded pasture too.        

James Mackie with daughter Lucy (11 years) and a bag limit last weekend hunting public water in Wairarapa (Photo: James Mackie).

We've had reports of plenty of bag limits taken in Wairarapa and some hot action in Manawatu also for those who ventured out to their ponds, though by accounts the Manawatu River was too high to hunt.

Things have cooled off on the Taranaki front but recent reports from hunters around Opunake are that decent hunting opportunities exist on standing water areas after periods of rain, but shooting windows are limited as these areas are drying back up, with cagey birds presenting a challenge to get within range.

There's another good blow coming this Sunday, though it won't be quite as intense or pack the rain that we received last weekend. 

It should, however, still provide some good hunting opportunities.  

Check out the Windy weather report below!

Get Your Must-Haves  

If you haven't been out yet this season, this weekend is looking really good to get back in the game. Make sure you get your licence now! 

Please ensure you are also familiar with the game bird hunting regulations for Wellington and Taranaki.

If you require the regulations for other regions, please scan the QR code below, which is also on the front of your regulations book you will have received with your licence.

           

More Wind On The Way For Sunday

The brighter the colour, the more intense the wind (Windy.com)

The wind looks set to build through the weekend, with northerlies for coastal and inland Taranaki and also Manawatu on Saturday.

The northerly fills in builds across the entire lower North Island with relatively strong winds for all but eastern areas arriving before dawn on Sunday.   

As with last weekend, conditions are set to peak on Sunday at around 8-9 metres per second - strong enough to form waves on the larger water bodies and ruffle the surface of sheltered ponds. 

This should make for productive hunting with birds likely to be stirred up, and good flights looking for sheltered water in the morning.

The blow is set to last throughout the day, so hunters should also get some good shooting in on the evening flight too!    

Check out Windy.com for the very latest outlook. 

 

Tip of The Week - Personalised Weather Alerts 

Windy.com allows you to set up weather alerts that are sent to your phone and smart devices (Photo: Hamish Carnachan)

You've probably noticed by now that we're big on the Windy.com weather app at Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game. 

There are number of reasons for this, not least of which is its accuracy in forecasting. 

But this clever app has some other amazing features which are also super useful for preparing for, and planning, duck hunting excursions. 

Buy a premium subscription - for a very reasonable $42/year - and you can view hourly updates, as well as set up alerts that are sent to your mobile phone and smart devices.

You get to set the parameters you're interested in, so you're notified when the latest forecast picks up your favoured conditions for the preset location/s you selected. Usually you get a few day's notice. 

For example, in the image above I've set my preferred duck hunting conditions for Lake Wairarapa which are north-west and southerly winds upwards of 8m/s. 

It's a great way to ensure you never miss hunting opportunities when the best weather conditions present. 

Give it a shot - you won't be disappointed.       

  

Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

Morgan Rayner sent in this photo of a post-morning hunt in Manawatu.

Send in your favourite photos from this game bird hunting season and you could be in to win a $300 voucher to spend in store at Wairarapa Hunting & Fishing.

We won't blow your secret spot, just include the name of the hunter(s), photographer's details, and general location in the Wellington or Taranaki Fish & Game region.

Click here to submit your entry.    

You can send us as many hunting photos as you like.

By submitting images to enter the competition you acknowledge that Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game, and Wairarapa Hunting and Fishing, can publish and use the photos for publicity material.

Entries must be in by 8:30pm, August 31, 2025. The winner will be notified via email.

Video of The Week - Manawatu Opening 

North Americans have some awesome game bird hunting in their part of the world yet they have die-hard hunters who venture down under to experience what we have on offer.

What do they think of the waterfowl hunting here? Paradise!

Check out the video by clicking the screenshot above.

 

Wairarapa Clay Target Shoot and Tuition 

Get Those Band Details Into Us

Wellington and Tararnaki  Fish & Game have had a good number of bands returned already which has been great to see.

Some interesting band returns so far include a juvenile mallard drake that was shot on Opening Weekend on a small river over 47km south of where he was banded only three months prior.

Also, a mature drake that was banded as an adult in 2022 and shot on Opening had travelled 50km north of his original capture location.

Returning band information is extremely useful as it builds on existing population distribution data and aids management of hunting regulations.

If you shoot (or have shot) a banded bird, please let us know via our website – You are welcome to keep the band and we’ll send you back some interesting information about your bird, and you’ll also be entered into a draw to win various prizes as part of our Banding Together initiative.

Easy, Delicious Duck Pie

Duck pie - A delicious and easy way to use up those leftovers (Photo: Hamish Carnachan)

If you've roasted a bunch of ducks and have leftovers you're wondering what to do with, look no further... 

Duck pies are delicious, easy to make with store-bought puff pastry, and the whole family will love them.   

First you'll need to make a basic sauce so the pies aren't dry.

• Sweat off some finely-chopped celery, onions and carrots in a medium pot (don't brown the onions). 
• Add a couple of cans of crushed tomato (or passata) and a cup of beef stock.
• If you've got a cup or two of red white, get that in too.  
• Throw in a few tablespoons of tomato paste and a bay leaf.
• Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. 
• Lower the heat to simmer, cover, and allow the sauce to bubble away gently and absorb all the flavours. 
• After about 30-minutes strain and reserve the sauce and return to the pot; increase the heat and (uncovered) allow the sauce to reduce so it thickens to a gravy consistency. 
• Once reduced, remove from heat and shred the leftover roast duck into the sauce.   
• Grease a pie tin (I use large muffin trays) with butter; cut pastry to size and fit into the mould. 
• Fill the base just above level. 
• Wet the edges of the pastry base with water and fit the pie top, pressing down with a fork; poke several holes in each pie to allow the steam to escape. 
• Coat the pie top with egg wash (one egg, beaten, with a splash of water mixed through). 
• Pop in the oven at 160-179degC until golden brown.     

Recipe by Wellington Fish & Game officer Hamish Carnachan

 

Firearms Safety Authority - Registry Update

This is a reminder that after June 24, 2025, licence holders may have an activating circumstance when they purchase ammunition from firearms dealers and ammunition sellers if they have not had one already.

This means that licence holders who buy ammunition after June 24 may receive a notification from the Firearms Safety Authority – Te Tari Pūreke - that they are required to register all their arms items within 30 days after their purchase of ammunition, if they have not done so already. 

Licensed dealers and ammunition sellers will be required to record ammunition sales in the Registry as part of their legal obligations on and from June 24, 2025. 

This requirement is referred to in the Arms Regulations 1992 Section 42(3). 

Dose Your Duck Hunting Dogs