Both Barrels May 2025 - West Coast

The 2025 game bird season looks to be off to a fantastic start. Reports from hunters and our game harvest surveys suggest there have already been some hot barrels out there. While the opening weekend weather favoured rangers more than duck hunters, most still managed to scratch out a few ducks and enjoy some success.

Image above: Angus and Opal the dog getting amongst the opening weekend excitement.

Recent monitoring has confirmed there’s no shortage of game birds on the West Coast — it’s just a matter of doing your homework, scouting, and getting amongst it. With solid numbers seen on the wing over opening weekend, we can expect the hunting to only get better as the season rolls on. And luckily for us Coasters, if opening weekend didn’t go to plan, we’ve got a full three-month winter season ahead — still plenty of time to get back out and chase some birds.

Paradise Shelduck, Swans & Pukeko in Good Nick

Paradise shelduck numbers remain strong, and many hunters had good success targeting them over opening weekend. With some maize paddocks being recently harvested, big mobs gathered, and some impressive tallies were taken. As always, good scouting makes all the difference when it comes to parry hunting — do the prep, and you can expect some action-packed shooting.

Swan numbers are also high around our larger water bodies, and harvest is encouraged. They often make predictable evening flights into nearby farmland, which can offer a prime opportunity to put some quality game meat in the freezer. Bag limit sits at 4 per day.

Pukeko are holding steady on wet farmland and provide a great social option to round out your morning. As you’ll see below, we’re once again running our annual pukeko drives — these are a great way to help out landowners, explore some new country, and catch up with like-minded hunters. I highly recommend coming along.

Emily Rutherford-Jones excited about harvesting her first swan over opening weekend.

Plenty More Action to Come

Just because some hunters had success over opening weekend doesn’t mean the best hunting is behind us — far from it! Things typically get better heading into June. Our recent trend counts showed really good numbers of birds across the board, especially paradise shelduck, greylard, and pukeko.

Scouting is the Game Changer

The key to consistent success is scouting. Keep your eyes peeled any time you’re out and about — a good mob can turn up anywhere. Once you’ve spotted some birds, have a chat with the landowner, get permission, and line up a hunt. If you're unsure who the landowner is, give us a call — we may be able to help point you in the right direction.

Timing it Right with Weather

The weather can make or break a hunt. If you can line up your trip with a decent wind, you’ll often be rewarded. We know it’s not always easy to match up weather and free time, but when a good weather window opens, don’t miss it! We recommend using Windy and YR to help plan your hunt — they’re both great tools that give hyper-local forecasts so you can see what to expect in your exact hunting spot.

Mark Your Calendar – The Shortest Weekend Duck Hunt

Coming up on the 21st and 22nd of June is the Shortest Weekend Duck Hunt — a nationwide push from Fish & Game encouraging all hunters to get back out there. Think of it as a second opening weekend, giving birds another stir-up and keeping them circulating.

By that stage, birds will have settled well after opening day, so it's worth checking your usual spots for fresh concentrations. With day licences available, it’s also a perfect opportunity to introduce someone new to the sport.

So spread the word, load up the gear, and make the most of it when the weekend rolls around!

Jason Jones and Luke Mathieson finding success in Hokitika area following some preseason preparation.

Organised Hunts

This season's instalment of organised hunts have now been finalised.  Preference will be given to West Coast licence holders and places are likely to fill up quickly so be glad you’re a West Coast licence holder. These are a continuation of previous season’s most successful hunts with the addition of a South Westland event.

They are a great opportunity for hunters to get out together, spending time hunting properties with good numbers of birds to help out farmers. Below is the calendar of events and other important dates worth noting.

Event	Date	Location
Pukeko Drive	25th May 2025	Barrytown
South Westland Hunt (Details TBC) expressions of interested welcomed.	14th & 15th June 2025	Poerua Valley, Harihari
Shortest Weekend Duck Hunt	21st & 22nd June 2025	West Coast
Game Bird Hunting Trip	5th & 6th July 2025	Karamea
Closing Weekend	26th & 27th July 2025	West Coast
Opening of Summer Pukeko Season	1st January 2026	West Coast
Opening of Summer Paradise Shelduck & Swan Season	28th February 2026	Locations 200m or more from open water for Paradise Shelduck on the West Coast
Closing of Summer Seasons	22nd March 2026	West Coast