|
Welcome to the May edition of Both Barrels, the gamebird hunting newsletter from Fish & Game NZ keeping you up to date with all that is happening around the country.
This month all the F&G regions provide an update on Opening Weekend. Just click on your region above, or scroll down to see. If you have any comments, stories or anecdotes about your Opening Weekend experiences, please send them to bothbarrels@inbox.net.nz
The next issue of Both Barrels will be focussed on upland gamebird hunting - in the meantime, the Fish & Game Gamebird Food Festival continues - have you taken part yet in this iconic event?
Some of you may have seen or heard about the extraordinary item run by TVNS's Close Up programme after Opening Weekend. You can read our response to this item here - again, if you have any comments to make, please send them in to bothbarrels@inbox.net.nz
 A must-have for all gamebird hunters: Introduction to Gamebird Hunting Pack
Fish & Game NZ have developed this excellent pack in order to assist new and returning hunters.
The pack includes two DVDs - one on duck hunting, one on food safety, a CD of where to hunt and a 28 page booklet full of useful information on guns and ammo, maimais and the like.
All this for only $5 - available from your local F&G regional office, Hunting and Fishing New Zealand and other good hunting stores around the country. More
Fish & Game 2009 Gamebird Food Festival
The 2009 Gamebird Food Festival restaurants have been busy with hunters bringing a variety of gamebirds
High Tide in Dunedin have a well patronised duck banquet menu with an entrée confit of duck leg, duck l’orange, Moroccan style duck and duck with green peppercorns and wild mushrooms, followed by a Tamarillo sorbet with pistachio biscotti ( $40 / head, minimum 8 people). à Deco in Whangarei are serving their duck in 4 ways dish with tea smoked duck with green mango salad, confit leg with honeygar conserve, roast breast with agria potatoes & spiced beetroot, and duck, bacon & wild mushroom pappardelle.
Some chefs have done wonders with the more exotic gamebirds. Le Monde at Timaru has served Pukeko Laksa ($13.60) and Canada geese breasts with a sage and onion stuffing on a creamy pea, lettuce, onion and bacon casserole ($22.53).
Upland game are well served by Nero in Palmerston North serving a pheasant in two ways dish with a confit leg of pheasant with Jerusalem artichokes and roast breast of pheasant with sage, onion and raisin stuffing wrapped in bacon with pan jus and glayva liquor ($26.50).
For your local festival restaurant, see www.gamebirdnz.blogspot.com
 Hunting Licences Online
The easy way to get your 2009 licence is to buy online - it just takes a few moments here
Back to the top
Northland hunter’s success during Opening Weekend varied according to the weather in their part of the region. Hunters in Mangawhai through Whangarei experienced heavy rain, flooding creeks and small rivers, dispersing birds and making access to hunting sites difficult for some hunters. More
Back to the top
Opening weekend was generally slow for most hunters and people commented that they were seeing fewer birds than usual. Bird numbers were affected by several factors including there was a bad drought last year and there was an exceptional, one in 50 years flood. More
Back to the top
Of the nearly 300 hunters that Fish & Game NZ rangers spoke to on opening weekend in the Bay of Plenty, most reported that the hunting was better than expected and they were pretty happy with the number of ducks taken. More
Back to the top
Typically, Hawkes Bay opening weekend is known for its fine weather. This year the region experienced overcast conditions with cold southerly winds, and rain and drizzle which kept the seas rough preventing birds from rafting up on the water. More
Back to the top
The opening weekend was a bit of a mixed bag. We have had both positive and negative feedback from the hunters we have surveyed with comments ranging from “a complete washout” to “the best opening weekend of my life”. More
Back to the top
It was a good start to the waterfowl hunting season in the Wellington Fish & Game region. While fine weather in the Wellington region favoured the ducks for the first two days of season, hunters reported a great day out. More
Back to the top
There was brilliantly fine weather over opening weekend, which meant a good day for ducks. Most hunters were successful at bagging some birds, and those hunters that had done their homework did extremely well. More
Back to the top
The calm sunny conditions on opening weekend of the gamebird season meant that most duck shooters returned home warm and dry, albeit with less ducks than some would have hoped. The fine conditions following heavy rainfall during the preceding week prompted a redistribution of ducks, and undid the careful plans of more than a few hunters who had been monitoring their pre-season movements. More
Back to the top
North Canterbury - Opening Weekend update
Hunters reported a “better than average” opening weekend. Saturday at Lake Ellesmere was good for hunters as the ducks were flying lower and seeking shelter around the edges of the lake. More
Back to the top
Opening weekend was a mixed bag in the Central South Island Region. On the morning of opening there was brilliant sunshine and calm conditions meaning ducks were still flying high. More
Back to the top
The gamebird season got away to an average start due to the opening weekend weather favouring the ducks! Clear skies and high flying birds were the order of the day in most parts of the region, except in South Otago where the fog continued until midday helping hunters cash in on surplus birds in that area. More
Back to the top
Southland - Opening Weekend update
The fine and calm weather conditions on opening weekend meant that hunters did not have as much success as they would have liked. Hunters were disappointed that the average bag was down for the weekend, but some commented that you can’t go wrong with duck hunting. More
Back to the top
© Copyright Fish & Game New Zealand and inbox Ltd 2003-2009
| 