Both Barrels May 2026 - West Coast

The 2026 game bird season is off to a positive start across the West Coast, with plenty of encouraging reports coming in from hunters over the first fortnight of the season. Despite some mixed opening weekend weather, many hunters still managed good shooting, particularly those who had spent time scouting birds leading into the season.

Image above: Visiting Christchurch and Cromwell hunters Arthur and Hamish Henderson, along with Julien Lopez, make the most of West Coast game bird hunting opportunities.

Pre-season monitoring and early harvest feedback suggest game bird populations are healthy across much of the region. Mallards/grey ducks, paradise shelduck, and black swan are all being encountered in good numbers, with many hunters reporting consistent bird movement throughout opening weekend and into the first week of the season. With only the few weeks of the season behind us, there is still plenty of hunting ahead with opportunities increasing as winter sets in.

Given the recent period of strong winds and rain experienced across the Coast, birds would have likely quickly shifted into more sheltered areas, including back into spots that may have seen disturbance over opening weekend. As conditions settle, expect to see birds moving back out to feed, particularly in flooded paddocks and other newly available feeding areas. It’s a good time to stay observant on the ground and in the air — opportunities can appear quickly in these changing conditions, and being in the right place at the right time will make all the difference.

Paradise Shelduck, Swans & Pukeko Continue to Provide Opportunity

Paradise shelduck numbers remain in very good condition throughout much of the Coast, and several hunters have already reported excellent success targeting parries during the opening week. Recently harvested maize paddocks and new grass have been attracting good concentrations of birds, especially paradise shelduck. As always, hunters putting in the effort to identify feeding areas and flight paths are seeing the best results.

Black swan numbers also remain high around many of our larger lakes, lagoons, and river mouths. Their predictable evening movements onto surrounding farmland are creating good hunting opportunities, while also helping landowners manage grazing pressure in some areas. Hunters are reminded the daily bag limit for black swan remains four birds per person.

Pukeko numbers continue to hold steady across wet farmland and remain a great social hunting option throughout winter. Our annual pukeko drives will once again be running this season and are always a great opportunity to assist landowners, see some new country, and spend time with fellow hunters. We encourage anyone keen to get involved to come along.

Stig, Michael, Todd and the rest of the crew had a fantastic opening morning on the maize stubble.

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!

Still plenty of opportunities ahead to get back out there and into the action.

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	31st May 2026	Birchfield, Westport
South Westland Hunt	13th-14th June 2026	Harihari
Shortest Weekend Duck Hunt	20th & 21st June 2026	West Coast
Game Bird Hunting Trip	4th- 5th July 2026	Karamea
Closing Weekend	25th & 26th July 2026	West Coast
Opening of Summer Pukeko Season	1st January 2027	West Coast
Opening of Summer Paradise Shelduck & Swan Season	27th February 2027	Locations 200m or more from open water for Paradise Shelduck
Closing of Summer Seasons	21st March 2027	West Coast

How to get involved?

The best way to insure you are kept up to date on organised event’s is to email [email protected] and ask to join the keen hunters list.

 

Hope to see you out there.

Baylee Kersten

Senior Fish & Game Officer – West Coast Region