Otago - The Game Call - 23 April 2026

Welcome to the first 2026 edition of The Game Call, your fortnightly Otago Regional Hunting Report.

Every second Thursday during the season, we will email you the latest hunting reports, tips, and photo competition details.

If you like this report, please tell your hunting mates and family members to subscribe. You can always unsubscribe at the link below this page.

In this issue:

• Welcome
• Season prospects
• Hunter harvest
• New maimai removes barriers
• Get your eye in
• Hunting Knowledge Hub
• Shot of the season: Otago Game Bird Photo Competition
• Compliance
• Aviation influenza surveillance 
• Parry bag limit increase
• Fish & Game managed wetlands
• Local regulations

Season prospects

The Opening Day on Saturday, May 2, is just over a week away.

Conditions are shaping up well for ducks heading into the 2026 game bird season. A wet spring and summer left plenty of water across the region, creating extensive habitat and potentially spreading birds out come Opening. If you’ve got water in front of the maimai you’ll be in the game — and ducks should have more options this year.

Those conditions have also been positive for duck production. Flooded margins have triggered a flush of aquatic life, providing an important protein boost for young birds as they grow and put on condition over summer. Healthy wetlands and good water levels at this time of year play a key role in supporting that development.

There’ve been encouraging reports of strong brood numbers, but as always, the season will depend on how many of those birds reach maturity. Weather patterns leading into Opening will have a big influence on how things finally shape up.

As ever, it’ll come down to good preparation and the weather on the day.

Hunter harvest survey

This season we’ll be surveying hunters about their harvest success.

Otago hunter harvest rates saw a strong return in the 2025 season. This followed poorer than long-term averages for the previous three seasons. 

The average number of greylards harvested per hour in the Otago Region increased to its highest level since 2013. That increased availability likely contributed to very high levels of satisfaction. Eighty per cent of the Otago hunters we interviewed were satisfied or very satisfied with their season. 

One major change in Otago’s harvest levels was regarding the native shoveler duck. Our national monitoring programme showed a slight decline in the long-term nationwide population. As Otago is responsible for around a quarter of the country's harvest, we moved to a single-male bag limit. This change appears to be highly effective at reducing harvest; in the three years post-change, we've averaged 400 shoveler harvested annually, compared with 1500 for the three years prior.

New maimai removes barriers for mobility-impaired hunters

Hunters and project supporters joined Otago Fish & Game at the launch of a new wheelchair-accessible maimai in South Otago this month. Photo: Bruce Quirey

This month Otago Fish & Game officially launched a new wheelchair-accessible maimai in South Otago — a big step forward for inclusive hunting.

Joining us at Inch Clutha for the launch were two mobility-impaired duck hunters — Pip and Brendon — alongside an incredible group of supporters, W Hamilton Building Ltd, Carters, Livingwell Disability Resource Centre, Freeman Roofing Dunedin, SouthRoads, Mike Hurring Logging & Contracting, with Otago Fish & Game officer Steve Dixon and councillor John Cruden.

What a team effort!

This project helps open up game bird hunting by delivering:
• Inclusive access — making it easier for mobility-impaired hunters to take part with friends and family
• Safe, practical design — purpose-built access via boardwalk and maimai
• True collaboration — made possible by a standout partnership between Fish & Game, disability advocates, contractors and sponsors.

The maimai is ready for the 2026 game bird season, opening May 2. Access to the Inch Clutha Wildlife Management Reserve is by Fish & Game permit. For enquiries, contact [email protected].

Select here to read more on the Fish & Game website.

We’re hugely grateful to everyone involved. Special thanks to:

• W Hamilton Building Ltd
• Carters
• Freeman Roofing Dunedin
• Livingwell Disability Resource Centre
• SouthRoads
• Mike Hurring Logging and Contracting
• Niagara
• Otago Regional Council

Get your eye in

Meet other hunters and get your eye in at a sporting clay shoot before Opening Weekend. Photo: Bruce Quirey.

With one weekend to go before Opening Day, there’s still time to sharpen up your shooting skills. Sporting clays shoots are a great way to get ready for duck shooting.

You just need to take your gun, hearing and eye protection. ​When you arrive, park at the car park and head into the main building where there will be a sign-up desk.  From there you will be put into squads and given a schedule for the day. Spectators are welcome and there are toilets on site.

Duck Shooters Shoot — Sponsored by Southern Wild Wānaka

• Saturday 25 April, 12pm noon
• Wānaka Gun Club, 842 Lake Hāwea–Albert Town Road, Wānaka
• Contact: Rex Smart (President) 027 486 0472, Warren Batchelar (Treasurer) 021 591 122

Duck Shooters Clay Shoot Dunedin Hunting & Fishing

• Sunday 26 April, 9am
• Dunedin Clay Target Club, 395 Brighton Road, Waldronville
• Contact: Dunedin Hunting & Fishing
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone (03) 477-6665

West Otago Duck Shooters Clay Shoot

• Sunday 26 April, 1pm
• West Otago Gun Club, Station Rd, Tapanui
• Contact: Adrian McIntyre
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 027 202 3313

Hunting Knowledge Hub

New to game bird hunting or after handy tips and info? We've got you covered. Everything you need for game bird hunting, all in one place.

New Zealand has a great range of game birds to hunt, split broadly into two groups: waterfowl and upland game. Each species has its own habitat, habits, and hunting experience. Knowing what you're looking at before the season opens makes a big difference.

Fish & Game’s What to Hunt section covers all the key species, from mallard and paradise shelduck to shoveler, black swan, and pukeko.

Head to fishandgame.org.nz to explore the Hunting Knowledge Hub.

Shot of the Season: Otago Game Bird Photo Competition

Last year’s winner of the Otago Game Bird Photo Competition — Jackson (then 7) and Pip the dog on Opening Weekend. Photo: Tom McAuliffe

Show us your best photo shots from the great outdoors!

This season, we're celebrating the photographers among our Otago game bird hunting community with the "Shot of the Season" photo competition.

Every fortnight, we'll select one outstanding photo that captures the essence of game bird hunting in Otago. Each featured photographer will go into the running for a duck hunters’ prize pack thanks to Dunedin Hunting & Fishing NZ at the end of the season.

Submit your entries:

• Email: [email protected]
• Subject line: Photo competition
• A brief caption describing the photo including names (from left) of any people or pawed hunting buddies.

Fortnightly winners featured every second Thursday throughout the season.

Compliance

Fish & Game rangers will be checking compliance at private and public hunting locations across Otago on Opening Weekend.

If you encounter rangers:

• Please make your firearm safe.
• Present your game bird licence when requested.
• Follow the rangers’  instructions

Paradise shelduck/putangitangi

The daily bag limit for paradise shelduck in Otago has increased to 15. There are plenty of birds around. This year’s moult count in summer was exceptionally strong, with paradise shelduck numbers reaching a 35-year high.

The increased bag limit reflects responsible management of this native tāonga species. We encourage hunters to harvest these birds.

The Fish +Game cookbook, by Angelo Georgalli, includes some great parry recipes. You can purchase your own copy through the link. Also look out for other recipes in upcoming editions of The Game Call.

Avian influenza surveillance

Last summer Otago Fish & Game played a key role in a South Island-wide duck trapping and testing programme, supporting Biosecurity New Zealand surveillance for avian influenza.

Working alongside other regions, Otago staff and volunteers helped sample mallards as part of increased national monitoring for high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu). More than 800 birds were live-captured, tested, and released unharmed across Otago, North Canterbury and the Central South Island.

Sites were carefully selected and prepared in advance, with pre-feeding and predator control helping ensure safe and efficient trapping. The programme highlights the strength of Otago Fish & Game’s field expertise, landowner relationships and ability to contribute to frontline biosecurity work.

While a poultry outbreak of H7N6 in Otago in 2024 was successfully contained, the highly contagious H5N1 strain continues to spread globally. It has not been detected in mainland New Zealand, but surveillance remains a priority.

Fish & Game encourages hunters to report any banded birds this season and reminds the public to report clusters of sick or dead birds to the exotic pest and disease hotline (0800 80 99 66).

Select here to read more.

Fish & Game managed wetlands

Takitakitoa Wetland thriving with water and wildlife in March this year.

Otago Fish & Game region has six managed wetlands where licence holders can hunt game birds: Takitakitoa, Inch Clutha, Toko Reserve, Otokia, Waitapeka, and Paerau.

• Hunting locations have been balloted to junior and novice hunters for the first nine days of the 2025 season. This allows a fair period of uninterrupted hunting for ballot holders.
• Casual permits will be available from May 11, 2026.
• To apply for a casual permit, please select here.
• For more details on game bird hunting in Otago, including Fish & Game managed wetlands, select here.

Local regulations

Be sure you know the local game bird hunting regulations.

• Each region has its own set of regulations working in conjunction with the national regulations.
• These include bag limits and season lengths.
• Download regulation booklets for each individual region from the Fish & Game website by selecting here.

Grab your hunting licence online and let the adventures begin.

Got any Otago game bird hunting news?

Send your hunting news and photos (with hunters’ names) to [email protected] for consideration in the Regional Hunting Report.