Both Barrels April 2026 - Taranaki

Duck Numbers Suggest Solid Season Ahead 

Aside from the recent dry weather, it was a good spring breeding season for waterfowl in the Taranaki region, with wet conditions providing plenty of food for ducklings and good survival through to fledging. This all adds up to the prospect of plenty of birds for hunters to harvest come Opening Weekend (May 2/3).

The dry late summer and autumn conditions have encouraged mallard ducks and other waterfowl to congregate on lakes and ponds that have retained permanent water. Good duck camps have also been spotted on riverbends with exposed beaches for loafing.

Some welcome rainfall, including a good dump in mid-April, has put water in ponds and dams that were at a low ebb and encouraged mallards and parries to head out into areas of ponding in farm paddocks and stubble-fields to feed on worms and other insects.

Fish & Game staff and volunteers banded 464 ducks in the Whanganui area this year, bringing the total number of mallards banded in Whanganui to 2798, with another 518 banded in Raetihi/Ohakune in 2017-19 and 38 in New Plymouth in 2023.

If you are fortunate enough to harvest a banded duck this season, please return the data by filling out the form on the Fish & Game website or giving our New Plymouth office a ring on 06 7579676.  

Paradise shelduck populations remain strong on the Taranaki ringplain, where the January 2026 moult counts were on par with previous years. Populations are more modest in the Whanganui and Waimarino areas but still sufficient to provide a good hunting opportunity and a 10-bird limit has been retained.

Surveys indicate that populations of black swan are increasing, and they should be a good bonus bird for hunters on the coastal dune lakes.

Pukeko numbers were similar to previous years around the Taranaki ringplain but lower than usual in  in Whanganui  – in fact the surveyors saw more pheasants than pukeko, which bodes well for the coming season. If you’re interested in information on permits to hunt pheasant in Harakeke Forest south of Whanganui, Nukumaru Recreation Reserve and Tauwhare Forest, please contact Taranaki Fish & Game’s New Plymouth office on 06 7579676.

Note there is an ongoing ban on hunting from a boat in the Whanganui River downstream of Kemps Pole (Kauarapaoa Stream confluence) owing to the increasing popularity of the Upokongaro cycle bridge and walkway.

Also, following completion of the phaseout of the use of lead shot in the .410 shotgun, there is now a total ban on lead shot for all waterfowl hunting within 200 metres of open water.

Finally, our Rangers will be out checking on compliance this season, so please make sure you have your game bird hunting licence on hand and are familiar with the regulations in the guide that comes free with your licence.

As always, stay safe this game season and review and obey the seven rules of firearm safety and the rules for secure storage and transport of firearms.

Visit www.fishandgame.org.nz for more information.