Wellington/Taranaki Weekly Hunting Bulletin - 30 April 2026

Only Two Sleeps 'Til Opening Day!  

There are just two more sleeps until the biggest day in the New Zealand hunting calendar!

While the weather looks like it will be typical Opening Weekend fare, we know hunter interest is very high and there'll be plenty of guns out moving birds around early on and, hopefully, again in the evening.    

Pictured - There's nothing like the excitement of being set up and waiting for the first ducks to decoy in on Opening morning (Photo: Hamish Carnachan) 

No matter what the hunting throws at you, we know this weekend is equally about catching up with mates - the long-established tradition and connections - as it is about how many ducks are bagged.

So, on the eve of the 2026 game bird hunting season, it's time for those final checks to make sure you've got everything set and squared away for Saturday. 

Also consider that this weekend could be a great opportunity to introduce a younger family member or a friend to the pursuit. 

Young Wilson Sparks is hooked on duck hunting after being introduced to the pursuit by his dad Chris (Credit: Hamish Carnachan) 

Find them a spot in the maimai, grab them a licence and set them on their path.

Don't forget we've got our game bird hunting photo competition running again this year - you could win a $300 Hunting & Fishing voucher - so get snapping this weekend and throughout the season (details on how to enter below).      

We hope you have a fantastic start to the season.         

Grab Your Licence - Get Into The Action 

Along with your decoys, ammo and access to your hunting spot, your top priority is making sure you get your new season licence. 

Also, 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.  

Breezy Conditions For Coastal Areas, Calmer Elsewhere 

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

Opening morning will see moderately breezy conditions for those hunting along the South Taranaki coast, coastal Wairarapa and the bottom of the North Island. 

Elsewhere, hunters can expect gentle breezes on Saturday with calm weather on Sunday.   

There is a bit of a quarterly shift in the wind direction between Friday and Saturday across much of the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions, so hopefully this might keep the ducks guessing and looking for sheltered possies.  

Conditions get calmer as we head into the weekend but we encourage you to keep at it, and make the most of the opportunity early-season uneducated birds present.     

Opening Weekend Outlook

Plenty of birds feeding on a late-harvest maize crop (Credit: Allen Stancliff)

Despite the calm weather forecast for Opening Weekend, bird numbers across both regions are strong.   

From our pre-season scouting this week, we've seen the standing water in paddocks has dried up but there are plenty of mallards and parries still out feeding on harvested maize and grain, so the morning and evening flights on Saturday should be good. 

River and stream flows have also dropped back and mallards are again utilising their summer duck camps on sheltered pools and river bends with beaches and exposed rocky areas for loafing.

While the larger lakes and ponds can have birds dropping in all day, the fine weather and light winds forecast for Opening Weekend will likely result in reduced activity on smaller waters after the first hour or so.

Walk-up shoots along streams, or jump shooting farm oxy ponds, can be a good option during the middle of the day, before returning to your possie for the evening shoot.  

The lack of wind means getting some movement into your decoy spreads will be important this weekend so make sure your motion decoys are in working order.  

There should still be good hunting on Sunday as wary ducks from Opening Day look to relocate to more secluded spots. This is where having another pond, or hunting drains and vegetation lined creeks, can really lift your success.   

Rangers Active This Weekend

A compliant hunting party checked by one of our rangers last season.

Rangers will be out checking licences and compliance with the game bird regulations over Opening Weekend so please make sure you have your 2026 hunting licence on you. 

There's nothing worse than missing out on birds because you have to accompany rangers back to the house or vehicle to get it.

Our teams may also be accompanied by NZ Police officers. They will likely want to check firearms licences so have these in your hunting bag too.

Remember that if you are supervising a hunter who does not hold a firearms licence, you must be physically present, within arm's reach to take control of the firearm if necessary, and cannot be using another firearm while supervising. 

Stay safe over Opening; always follow the seven golden rules of firearms safety.        

Swan Bag Limits This Season For Wellington Region

Just a reminder that the bag limit for swans in the Wellington Fish & Game region is 5 birds per day per hunter over the main waterfowl season (May 2 to June 28, 2026). 

Thereafter, the limit increases to 15 birds per day per hunter for the period June 29 to August 30, 2026.   

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.    

School Up This Season 

Hunting News  

You may already have received a copy of our 2026 'Hunting News' in the mail. 

If you haven't, click on the cover image above to download a digital version and catch up on the season prospects, new hunting opportunities, recipes, news on what we've been up to and a heap of handy tips to make your season more successful.  

Photo Comp - Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

Daniel Voelkerling was all sorted for the first flight of ducks last season.

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.

Video Of The Week - 

A throw-back to Opening Day 2025, same small pond hunting in the Manawatu.

Click the screenshot above to get fizzed for Saturday! 

Get Your Band Details In

The team at Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game have banded around 2000 mallards over the summer.

Every band matters so if you recover one this coming season, please let us know.

You are welcome to keep the bands, all we need are the details around where and when the bird was harvested to help us with game bird management.

Play your part and get those band details back to us – it only takes a minute by phoning through the info to: 0800 BIRD BAND (0800-247322). 

Dose You Duck Hunting Dogs 

It only takes one infected dog to cause a catastrophic sheep measles outbreak.

The tapeworm Taenia ovis cause sheep measles. Its immense ability to reproduce is the largest challenge facing prevention. The tapeworm requires the dog and sheep/goat to complete its lifecycle. There is no way of knowing if your flock is infected until slaughter, and dogs usually show no symptoms of infestation either.

Therefore, the easiest way to prevent the disease is to routinely dose dogs that reside near sheep every month with the single active ingredient Praziquantel. Dogs that are visiting sheep farms should be dosed at least 48 hours to ensure any potential tapeworms are flushed out.   

A sheep measles outbreak on a farming property can cost the farmer and processor thousands of dollars. On a larger scale, meat inspectors can only detect 20% of infections due to the site which cysts embed. If contaminated sheep meat reaches the market, the entire industry is at risk.

All dog owners have a part to play in ensuring that sheep meat produced by New Zealand farmers is free of sheep measles. It is important to take preventative measures seriously.

Noticeboard

If you have a game bird hunting related message or information you'd like us to publish in the Game Bird Bulletin, please contact the Wellington Fish & Game office on (06)359-0409 or flick us an email.