Both Barrels July 2026 - Northland

Season Update

The main duck season finished like it started, clear skies, light winds and a full moon. The strong, cold southerly wind in the last week of the season fizzled out on Friday leaving the weekend more suited to fishing. This would have been the driest duck season in recent years, which made late season hunting tough for some. Those who put the effort in to find the birds managed to hunt with some consistency through the later half of the season. Despite the lack of floodwater, most ducks were in good condition through the season and will make for some tasty roast dinners for those that managed to stockpile a few in the freezer. The paradise ducks have remained prevalent, and some good bags have been harvested by those who have kept a tab on where the birds are congregating. There is still one weekend left for paradise duck and swan this season – Sunday 26 July will be the last day.

Upland game season (pheasant, quail) runs until the end of August so there is still plenty of scope to get out after the upland birds. Due to a productive breeding season, there are good numbers of pheasant around this season, particularly younger birds. These birds are a little less crafty than an older rooster and can be a little more forgiving to the hunter. These beautiful birds are very rewarding to hunt. Don’t get put off by thinking because it is late season that all the “easy” birds will have been taken out by now. Pheasants move around throughout the season to exploit changing food sources. They also get more territorial as breeding season approaches which can make them easier to hunt as they will hold in place longer than they might have earlier in the season. July and August offer some great pheasant hunting. Find the food sources and you will find the birds. Look for areas with fruiting inkweed and nightshade. Other seed sources to watch for are gorse, privet and willow weed. We are lucky to have plenty of publicly accessible area to hunt upland birds in the region, including our forestry permit which offers walking access to 25 different forest blocks spread throughout the region. These forest blocks have populations of pheasant and both brown and California quail and offer a huge breadth of hunting opportunity.

Forestry Permits

Permits can be obtained by following the link below

https://www.fishandgame.org.nz/game-bird-hunting-in-new-zealand/where-to-hunt/regional-info/northland/northland-hunting-permit/permit-request/

Northland Fish and Game Properties

In addition to this six Fish and Game owned properties can be hunted after opening weekend.

https://www.fishandgame.org.nz/game-bird-hunting-in-new-zealand/where-to-hunt/regional-info/northland/northland-hunting-permit/permit-request/

Regulation Changes and Compliance: 

No changes to regulations this season.

Grey/mallard 12 birds per day

NZ shoveler 3 birds per day

Paradise shelducks 25 birds per day

Swan 20 birds per day

Pukeko 12 birds per day

California quail 10 birds per day

Brown quail 10 birds per day

Cock pheasant 5 birds per day

Season Lengths: 

Our season runs from opening weekend to 28 June 2026 for grey, mallard and shoveler ducks.

Paradise shelduck and swan can be hunted up until 26 July 2026

California quail, brown quail, cock pheasant and pukeko can be hunted out to 30 August 2026.

The paradise shelduck special season runs for nine days from 20 February 2027 until 28 February 2027. Swan and pukeko can also be hunted during this time. The same bag limits apply during this special season.

Duck bands

If you have shot a duck with a band please fill in the online form found at: https://fishandgame.org.nz/game-bird-hunting-in-new-zealand/banding-form/  or call 0800 BIRD BAND (0800-247322). We don’t need the actual band so you can keep it for your lanyard, we just need to obtain a few details. 

In conjunction with the Auckland/Waikato region we band birds at two sites on the Kaipara harbour. These are at Parakai and Matakohe. This data provides valuable information regarding the distribution, movement and survival rates of game birds within the region.