Wellington/Taranaki Weekly Hunting Bulletin - 21 May 2026

Calm Persists... Mix Up Your Hunting    

While the calm weather persists, it's a good opportunity to change up your tactics and try something different, including targeting new areas.

Foggy mornings in some parts of the lower North Island have provided some reasonable hunting along rivers where ducks seem to be holding, particularly in areas adjacent to recently harvested crops or re-sown pasture.    

Pictured: Four fat mallards in the bag from a quick morning hunt, pass shooting on a Wairarapa river (Photo: Hamish Carnachan.) 

Tucking into cover, with just a handful of decoys and some consistent calling will drag birds in for a look, often resulting in passing shots. 

It's a pretty exciting way to hunt and offers something completely different from shooting out of your standard maimai set-up.   

Several good overnight frosts has seen birds congregating on sunny river banks and islands, loafing and soaking up sun during the day.

Some scouting around late morning will reveal where the ducks are happy to rest up, and give an indication of where they're likely to return to the following morning after feeding. 

Once you've found a 'duck camp', set up well before dawn and you'll have some birds arrive when it's light enough for them to move.         

The current fine conditions are forecast to continue through to mid next week when a weather system arrives, bringing rain and wind to hopefully get the ducks dispersed again. 

Until then, early morning and evening shoots are likely to be most productive. 

As we mentioned last week, there are still plenty of ponds and oxy ponds throughout both regions that have not yet been shot, so scouting these out could also pay dividends. 

Parries about to be joined by a mob of Canada geese on stubble (Photo: Allen Stancliff)

And paradise ducks are still congregating on areas of newly sown grass in stubble fields; paddocks where maize has recently been harvested is also a magnet for ducks, as are farms where maize silage is being fed to stock.

If you can't get out early mornings, walk-up shoots along streams, drains and water races is fun for an outing with these current conditions. 

 

Grab A Day Licence For A Mate 

Want to take a mate or introduce someone to game bird hunting? Maybe you missed the start of the season?

Great news! Day licences are on sale now... Small outlay for the same awesome outdoor experience! 

Grab a licence now. 

Please ensure you are familiar with the game bird hunting regulations for the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions.

If you require regulations guides for other regions in the country, you can find them here. 

Here's the outlook for the weekend... 

 

Shifty Breeze Building Into The Weekend

The brighter the colour, the more intense the wind. (Credit: Windy.com)

The wind over the next three days is all over the place, moving from the north to westerly to south-easterly. 

Unfortunately, the shifty conditions are only going to be light until it starts to build on Sunday. 

The breeziest spots are going to be around Rangitikei, western Manawatu and coastal Taranaki. It might push down to Horowhenua where we're informed there are good numbers of mallards congregating at the moment.  

Little to no rain is forecast until later next week. Fingers crossed that when this system arrives it's the end of the settled weather. 
 

Photo Comp - Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

Daniel Gordon and his best mate set up in the layout blind, ready for the parries. 

Send in your favourite photos from this game bird hunting season and you could be in to win a $300 voucher to spend in store at Wairarapa Hunting & Fishing.

We won't blow your secret spot, just include the name of the hunter(s), photographer's details, and general location in the Wellington or Taranaki Fish & Game region.

Click here to submit your entry.    

You can send us as many hunting photos as you like.

By submitting images to enter the competition you acknowledge that Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game, and Wairarapa Hunting and Fishing, can publish and use the photos for publicity material.

Entries must be in by 8:30pm, August 30, 2026. The winner will be notified via email.

 

Attention Pukepuke Hunters!

Pukepuke Lagoon in Manawatu has dried out... we're trying to establish why

Wellington Fish & Game is looking into the historical environmental cycles of Pukepuke Lagoon, near Tangimoana in Manawatu, specifically tracking past low water levels or dry spells.

Because local hunters know these waters better than anyone, we are hoping you might have some records tucked away in old photo albums or scrapbooks.

How you can help:

• Photos: Any snapshots showing low water levels or exposed lagoon beds.
• Context: The approximate year, decade, or season the photo was taken.

Whether it’s a vintage print or a more recent digital snap, we’d love to see it. If you only have a hard copy, bring it to the office and we can scan and safely return it to you.

If you can help, please get in touch with us at the office [email protected]

Thanks for your time and for helping us preserve the history of the lagoon.

 

Game Bird Harvest Survey

Fish & Game staff from around New Zealand will again be conducting our annual Game Bird Hunter Harvest Survey.

You may receive a phone call from us seeking to ask a few questions about how many birds you have harvested this season. 

These calls are an important part of our game bird population management, as they give us an estimate of how many birds have been harvested across the country. 

We'd really appreciate your help if you do get a call. 

Keep Those Band Returns Rolling In

Thanks to all those hunters who have sent through their band returns to date. 

If you harvest a banded bird, we encourage you to report it via the Fish & Game website.

In return, you’ll receive a summary of the bird’s history, including the year and approximate location it was banded, its age and sex at the time and how far it travelled between the banding and recovery site (you can keep the band, we just need the information on it).

Every valid band report is automatically entered into the draw for prizes through Fish & Game’s Banding Together initiative.

Upland Hunting Opportunities

There are some good upland game opportunities for lower North Island hunters (Photo: Hamish Carnachan)

Both Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game have arranged hunter access to several plantation forests in the lower North Island where we periodically supplement the wild pheasant population with more birds. 

These areas are in Manawatu, Wairarapa and Whanganui. 

If you’re interested in learning more about upland game bird hunting opportunities in the lower North Island, please contact the Wellington office on (06)359-0409 or Taranaki on 027 263 9152.

 

Follow Us On Facebook

Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game are on Facebook!

To keep up with all the happenings, news and latest information throughout the upcoming game season, be sure to follow us.    

Tip Of The Week - The Importance Of Scouting

Understanding where birds will hold at certain times in the day is essential to your hunting success and will go a long way in improving each hunt you have (Photo: Hamish Carnachan)

One of the biggest factors in having a successful hunt is the time spent scouting.

Finding where birds are roosting, feeding, or travelling can make the difference between an average hunt and a memorable one.

There are several tools that can give hunters a real advantage when scouting. A good pair of binoculars is essential, while a spotting scope can help you identify species and estimate bird numbers from a distance without disturbing them.

Drones can also be a useful tool in some situations, although it’s important to check local regulations and restrictions before flying.

For those targeting birds along riverbeds, boating sections of the river can be an effective way to locate concentrations of birds or 'duck camps'. If you do come across a mob sitting on the water or feeding nearby, avoid stopping directly beside them. Instead, continue quietly past, as birds will often return to the same areas if they haven’t been pressured.

Once you’ve found birds, pay close attention to how they’re behaving. Take mental notes or photos of how they’re sitting on the water, the direction they’re facing, and how spread out they are. Replicating these details with your decoy setup can make your spread look far more natural and convincing.

The final piece of the puzzle is concealment.

Even with the perfect decoy spread, birds will quickly flare if they spot movement or unnatural shapes. Matching your hide or camouflage to the surrounding environment is critical, especially in areas birds have been using consistently for several days.

Natural cover, careful positioning, and keeping movement to a minimum can all help bring birds into shooting range.

There's plenty of time left in the season to spend a few hours behind the binoculars, and locate a few promising spots. 

 

Shoot Bird, Eat Bird!

So you bagged some birds over the weekend... now to make the most of them so you don't waste that delicious free-range game meat!

For a bunch of recipes, click the image above.