Eastern> Hunting News April 08

Last minute prep…
By John Meikle, Fish & Game Officer

The drought is still hitting hard in the Eastern Region and the ducks are struggling. There are still plenty of birds about but they’re all hanging out in the permanent water bodies and not really moving around.

Consequently, if we haven’t received any rain before opening weekend then the permanent water bodies will shoot well. Good if you’ve got a possie on one, but if your pond is dry then I would start looking for alternatives. The best bet is to find some where on a canal or river and utilise a portable hide (cammo net and a couple of warratahs) or make up a gun boat. Remember with this technique you will need heavier weights, longer strings and elongated decoy spreads. If you get the chance on shorter grass areas adjacent to where you are hunting, then place a good number of decoys on the land. Keel decoys can be propped up with dirt to appear resting on the bank.

Another alternative is to completely change your hunting. Kiwis are tradionalists and tend to remain in their maimais regardless of what the weather is doing. If it’s bucketing with rain and the paddocks are flooded then the ducks will go there instead of your pond. Oppositely, in drought conditions, farmers are feeding out supplement to their stock and the ducks just love feeding on the leftovers. The ducks fly there and hang out in big numbers. Find a farmer who is feeding out and get him to drop some in a paddock close by for you, lay out heaps of decoys and hunker down and for some fun hunting. In this type of situation, calling is not so important, but good cammo and minimal movement is required.

Changing the topic a little, we note every year the Friday before opening “stuff ups”. Constructing your maimai, scrubbing it up and generally having a nosey at the pond is a big no no! Every year people say, the ducks know its hunting season because they’re all at the local town supply dam. Wake up; it’s all the activity hunters are doing the few days before opening that’s disturbing the birds. At a minimum, you shouldn’t be near your maimai at least one week before. Decoys can be placed out the evening before, or very early opening morning (not after 6.00am).

Following on from this, it’s easy to understand that opening weekend is the “big” one, but it’s strange that many people do not hunt much of the remaining season. Within the Eastern Region there are heaps of wetlands and waterways to hunt with frequent opportunities to get limit bags. In this years supplement we detailed the areas, and they are also listed at our site, so we suggest you give them a go. Note however, that frequently a permit is required. These are free in our region, last all season, and all you have to do is give us a phone call to obtain one.
Have a great opening weekend, and an enjoyable season!

Permanent water is holding ducks

back to Both Barrels

If you would like to be kept in touch with Gamebird hunting news and other hunting information, please sign up for Both Barrels, our Gamebird hunting email newsletter.