Both Barrels April 2025 - Otago

Eye on the sky for Otago Opening

The Otago outlook for the 2025 game bird season looks promising.

Reports suggest strong brood numbers in the region after prolonged wet conditions during the duck breeding period.

Thanks to abundant waterfowl habitat and food sources, there should be no shortage of ducks, especially in South and West Otago, as well as many other parts of this wide and varied region.

Image above: Otago Fish & Game Council chief executive with Phin the dog admires a handsome drake mallard harvested late during the 2024 season. Photo: Bruce Quirey

Fish & Game managed wetlands in Otago are looking wetter ahead of Opening Day compared with the previous past two seasons.

By now hunters should have tagged and prepared their hunting spots. If not, get onto it promptly.

If you’re still looking around, we can tell you that Fish & Game rangers on Opening Weekend last year found many unshot ponds around Waitahuna, Lawrence and Strath Taieri near Lake Mahinerangi.

Get out and talk to farmers about access and help them to manage game bird populations by harvesting some healthy, wild protein with your friends and family.

Reports from Southland suggest large populations of ducks in that neighbouring region.

Wherever you are, don’t forget to thank landowners when granted the privilege of access onto private property.

As always, hunters will be dependent on the weather for Opening Weekend. Bring on some windy weather.

The Game Call - Regional Hunting Report

This season Otago Fish & Game is launching a fortnightly Regional Hunting Report. The first newsletter comes out on Thursday April 24 with:

• Game bird hunting reports.
• Forecasts.
• Hunting tips.
• A photo competition to win a $250 Hunting & Fishing Dunedin prize pack.
• A recipe competition to win Fish + Game cookbooks.
• The newsletter will be emailed to inboxes every second Thursday all season. Plus, it will be added to the Fish & Game website.

Make the most of your 2025 game bird season licence and sign up for this newsletter. Go to the Otago Fish & Game Council Facebook page or the Newsletter-Sign-up page on the website.

Preserving your traditions

Game bird hunting is a tradition we all want to preserve. It’s important for the future of our pursuit that hunters are ethical and responsible when in the field.

• Ranger teams will be patrolling across Otago this Opening Weekend. If rangers approach, make your firearms safe and follow their instructions. Thanks in advance.
• Last season compliance in Otago was at 96%, slightly down from the previous year. Offence notices were issued for shooting with lead, shooting protected species (grey teal and shoveler hen), and hunting without a game bird licence.
• This season there are no changes to game bird regulations in Otago.
• Read the 2025 Otago Region Game Bird Regulation Booklet online and also available over the counter when you purchase a licence from an agent.
• It's important every hunter plays their part — hunt ethically, know your regulations, and follow the Firearms Safety Rules.
• Remember: lead is banned for waterfowling on or near open water for all gauges.

Where to Hunt – Otago

In memory of Alan Hammond.

Many hunters will remember the late Alan Hammond, a craftsman renowned for his game calls and a former Otago Fish & Game councillor. Alan believed in self-reliance, urging hunters to invest time discovering success and learning from failures.

• One of his favourite sayings was "Duck shooting happens on opening weekend, duck hunting starts on the Monday."
• Otago Fish & Game has a Where to Hunt website page about our managed wetlands and public hunting locations. Select here for more information.
• Remember the most successful hunters put in the time and effort to scout, learn the movements of local game bird populations and gain access.

Mallard monitoring

Otago Fish & Game has suspended aerial mallard counting flights this year to review monitoring practices and be responsible with our resources.

This year Otago Fish & Game is changing our mallard monitoring approach.

• After analysing years of data between annual aerial counts and harvest surveys in Otago, we've found the numbers don't correlate.
• A large mallard count doesn't necessarily mean a big harvest, and vice versa.
• We don't yet know why this is but recognising the vital importance of being responsible with our resources, we have suspended preseason aerial flights this year.
• Instead, we're working at a national level to review best practices for game bird monitoring.
• We will keep licence holders informed of next steps.
• We will continue long-term harvest surveys this season. Don’t be surprised if you get a phone call from us, asking about your individual success.

Australasian shoveler/kuruwhengi

The Otago bag limit for shoveler is one drake per day this 2025 season.

• Concerns over a slight long-term decline in the national shoveler monitoring programme prompted the Otago Fish & Game Council to reduce bag limits ahead of last season from two shovelers per day to only one drake.
• This proactive measure proved effective, with Otago’s 2024 harvest dropping from about 1600 shoveler annually, or 24% of the national total, to under 400 birds, representing around 8%.

Paradise shelduck/putangitangi

• Fish & Game counted record high numbers of paradise shelduck during January moult trend counts across Otago Region.
• There was a botulism outbreak at Waikouaiti wastewater treatment in January to February — thankfully, the outbreak is now over.
• An estimated 1700 birds died, many of them paradise shelducks. This was not related to avian flu.
• Please be sensitive to the area around East Otago but know there are plenty of paradise shelducks across the region.

Avian Influenza

There's a risk of avian influenza occurring in New Zealand.

• While Fish & Game is not the lead agency for HPAI, we're working with MPI.
• Avian influenza could have a devastating impact on bird populations.
• If you see three or more unexplained dead birds, report it to the MPI hotline on 0800 80 99 66  and do not touch them.
• Keep your pets away as well.
• Select here for more information.

Fish & Game managed wetlands

Takitakitoa Wetland thriving with water and wildlife in March this year.

Otago Fish & Game region has six managed wetlands where licence holders can hunt game birds: Takitakitoa, Inch Clutha, Toko Reserve, Otokia, Waitapeka, and Paerau.

• Hunting locations have been balloted to junior and novice hunters for the first nine days of the 2025 season. This allows a fair period of uninterrupted hunting for ballot holders.
• Casual permits will be available from May 12, 2025.
• To apply for a casual permit, please select here.
• For more details on game bird hunting in Otago, including Fish & Game managed wetlands, select here.

Local regulations

Planning to hunt in another Fish & Game region?

Be sure you understand the local regulations.

Each region has its own set of regulations working in conjunction with the national regulations. These include bag limits and season lengths. You can download regulation booklets for each individual region from the Fish & Game website by selecting here.

Bye bye Ben

Otago Fish & Game farewells staff member Ben Sowry, who is moving to the North Island to join Eastern Fish & Game.

Last week we helped Ben plant manuka, kowhai and cabbage trees/ti kouka at Bendigo Wildlife Management Reserve at the top of Lake Dunstan.

For the past three years Ben has energetically led a habitat restoration project at Bendigo.

In this time he has eliminated many of the willows choking the river delta and with community support planted 4000 native plants of the species which originally proliferated this area centuries ago.

The work is improving habitat for game bird populations, a core purpose of this wildlife management reserve.

During four years with Otago Fish & Game, Ben has always been free, open and willing to share his extensive knowledge of game birds and freshwater sports fish – how to get them and what to do with them as wild kai.

This includes social media, recipes, fishing and hunting videos, newsletters, soft bait fishing clinics, and Take A Kid Fishing events.

All the best, Ben!

 

Warm barrels, everyone. Be safe and enjoy the 2025 game bird season!

The team at Otago Fish & Game Council