Both Barrels May 2026 - Wellington

Slow Start But Plenty Of Options Ahead For Hunters

The season has been slow so far aside rom an excellent band of weather which brought gale winds and rain over the second weekend after Opening.

Plenty of hunters got out to exploit the conditions after a fine, sunny and still Opening, and good bags were shot, particularly at Lake Wairarapa and Manawatu.

Aside from that, the weather has been very settled and the hunting sporadic, which just goes to show how important it is to make the most of the better waterfowl conditions when they present.  

One aspect of the calm, cold mornings and light winds that has played in hunters’ favour is the morning fog that has settled in many places throughout the Wellington Fish & Game region.

This has kept the birds flying low and moving consistently for lengthy periods until the fog has lifted, and then for a good half hour afterwards.

Those shooting ponds close to recently harvested and re-sown crops have faired particularly well.

And river shooting has been really productive; with the fog clinging to the waterways ‘til mid-morning and ducks approaching close to decoys in the clag, there’s been some fantastic pass shooting on offer!

Of course, the weather conditions have been ideal for upland game hunting and many licence holders have taken the opportunity to vacate the maimai in favour of chasing some pheasant and quail.

While hunters in some South Island regions brag about their big mallard bag limits, those in the Wellington Fish & Game region have a variety of game birds that is the envy of our southern counterparts.

We have arranged access to several plantation forests in Manawatu and one in Wairarapa for upland game, there are more forests just over the ‘border’ in Whanganui, and quail can be targeted in numerous public land areas with good coveys building up in Wairarapa.

If you’re interested in learning more about upland game bird hunting in the lower North Island, please contact the office – (06)359-0409.

Given the late maize and grain harvest this season, and pasture that has recently been re-sown under the stubble, there are plenty of opportunities to target parries coming into these paddocks too.

Use any time you’re out and about to scout for congregations of parries and politely ask the landowner for a chance to have a crack at them.

Despite a somewhat slow start on the duck front, there’s still plenty of hunting ahead.

And with an extended season for swan that goes all the way through to the last weekend in August (including a liberal bag of 15 birds per day between June 29 and August 30), there’s every chance to get maximum value out of your licence.   

If you haven’t yet got out this season, grab your licence by selecting here and get into the action now!