Wellington/Taranaki Weekly Hunting Bulletin - 11 June 2026

Sunday Looking Solid For Hunting     

The forecast is for shifty wind changes of moderate strengths from Friday, with a good strong north-westwely blow coming in on Sunday. 

This is the first decent nor-wester we've had this season, so expect some good shooting as it kicks ducks off areas they've become accustomed to sheltering in over the past few weeks.       

Pictured: Henry McIntyre and Harry Norwood had some great success over King's Birthday weekend.

A reasonable southerly at the start of this week made for some good hunting too, with plenty of birds moving around Lake Wairarapa, well into late morning.

While the ducks have been flying quite high when it hasn't been raining, those who have put in the time have been bagging birds and generally happy with the hunting. 

Elsewhere, there've been reports of reasonable success on some of the larger rivers in the Manawatu, and birds being taken on evening outings in Taranaki.

We also had some encouraging correspondence from Manawatu hunter Henry McIntyre this week - a short but simple message for those who aren't seeing birds in the haunts they usually target: Drive around = find ducks = shoot ducks.

You can see from Henry's photo, that the scouting he and his hunting buddy Harry put in to locate ducks certainly paid off with an impressive mixed bag!   

There are ducks for the taking - you just need to put in some ground work to locate them. 

On another note, we've added a sweetener to our game bird hunting photo competition for this season!

As well as going into the draw for a $300 voucher from Wairarapa Hunting & Fishing, we've added a copy of Pete Ryan's amazing new book - Riding The Echo Down - to the prize for the lucky winner.

For details on how to enter, see below. 

Here's the outlook for the weekend... It should be a good one so get out there and get into the action

 

More Shifty Winds This Weekend

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

More wind shifts are on the cards over the weekend with a strong nor-westerly spreading over the lower North Island on Sunday. 

Friday sees a strong westerly flow around coastal Taranaki and the Kapiti Coast give way to a moderate southerly, stronger around New Plymouth and south of Wellington and Wairarapa. 

This should move birds around and make for a reasonable hunt on Friday evening for those who want to get out after work.  

The southerly builds around coastal areas overnight before dying back on Saturday. Later in the day, however, we see a big swing back to the north-west; inland areas remain relatively sheltered though. 

Sunday is where it's at, with a blustery nor-wester filling in right across both regions and gathering strength throughout the day.

We can expect wind strengths of around 7-8 metres per second for Wairarapa, Manawatu and parts of Taranaki.

This is fairly honking, and more than enough to unsettle ducks and push them off larger water bodies and exposed river reaches. 

No rain is in the forecast but the wind should make for good hunting!    

As always, check the latest conditions on Windy.com before making your plan for the weekend.    

 

Organised Swan Hunts - Keen To Take Part?

We're currently gauging interest amongst hunters for organised black swan hunts in areas of the Wellington Fish & Game region where landowners are experiencing challenges with nuisance swan aggregations on pasture and crops, particularly around Lake Wairarapa.

From the end of the main waterfowl season (June 28), the bag limit on black swan increases from five birds per person per day, to 15 birds per person per day in this region. 

If there's enough interest, we'll look to facilitate access to properties and hunting locations around a weekend or two in July/August.

Please click here to let us know if you and you're hunting party are keen to participate, and we'll keep you informed of upcoming opportunities.   

 

Photo Comp - Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

Indie (8) and Marley (6) picking up ducks that Dad shot on the farm north of Feilding over the long weekend (Photo: Matt Hobson). 

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're also going to throw in a copy of Pete Ryan's amazing new hunting book - Riding The Echo Down.    

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.

 

Tip Of The Week - Mix It Up, Move Around

Some of the best hunting in the Wellington Fish & Game region can be had on public land (Photo: Hamish Carnachan) 

If you've shot your pond or the same possie regularly this season, chances are the birds will have wised up and are starting to give it a wide berth.

Now's the time to mix up your hunting and moving around...  

Some of the best waterfowl hunting in the Wellington Fish & Game region can be found in the public hunting areas.

Any game bird licence holder who obtains our Game Bird Hunting Access Permit, may hunt the following wetlands after Opening Weekend for the remainder of the game season, or dates as printed in the permit booklet:  

• Wairarapa Moana (Lake Wairarapa)
• Lake Omanu near Foxton  
• Makurerua Swamp 25 km south of Palmerston North. 

The Game Bird Hunting Access Permit includes maps and conditions of access and includes a number of areas within the Wellington Fish & Game region. 

Click here to explore hunting opportunities available in the Wellington region.

If you're after new spots or somewhere different to hunt in the Taranaki Fish & Game region, click here to find out more. 

 

Want Some Help With A Duck Pond Project?

Looking to create a duck pond or improve your existing one? Wellington-Taranaki Fish & Game are happy to help with expert advice and may even be able to secure funding to assist with the project. 

Whether you want to hold ducks on your pond longer, or are aiming to create an entirely new wetland from that unproductive boggy paddock, we have the staff expertise and experience. 

Drop us an email and we'll call to discuss your plans and how we can help.

For Wairarapa, - contact Hamish.
For Manawatu/Rangitikei - contact Matt.
For Taranaki - contact Allen. 

 

Swan Hunting Tactics

We've got tips and tactics to help hunters harvest more black swan (Photo: Nick King)

Wellington Fish & Game staff have just completed an online resource to help hunters be more successful when targeting black swans.

With an extended season on swan in the region, and liberal bag limits, we're trying to encourage hunters to harvest more of these challenging and under-utilised game birds. 

The resource is part of our Hunting Knowledge Hub and includes a raft of tips and some tasty recipes to make the most of the meat, including guidance on how to age birds and then decide on how best to cook them.

Click here to download a copy.   

 

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.

 

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.

 

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