Wellington/Taranaki - Weekly Hunting Bulletin 6 June 2024

Taranaki Wellington
6/06/2024

Shifty Winds On The Way This Weekend

The forecast weather for Taranaki didn't eventuate last weekend unfortunately but those at the other end of the North Island had some awesome hunting during a good nor-west blow.

Lake Wairarapa shot very well for those who braved the strong nor-west conditions on Saturday with several hunters reporting limits well before mid-morning.

Pictured: Mark Nickson captured this stunning shot of his hunting buddy, Jason, retrieving a mallard from their possie near Himatangi.

There have also been some reasonable southerlies and these too are moving ducks around.

Smaller dams and oxidation ponds with shelter from the winds and that catch the sun are currently holding good numbers of birds, with farmers reporting flocks ranging from 20 ducks up to 100.

Smaller ponds that have been rested from hunting are holding good numbers of ducks. Credit Allen Stancliff.

Some of these areas have been shot earlier in the season, but the recent run of south-westerlies have seen ducks returning to these possies.

While jump-shooting is an option, the ducks are wary and will flush early, often before you get within range. A first light or evening shoot with a few well-placed decoys will potentially be a more productive way to go.

There are also a lot of paradise shelduck pairs spread out over dairy farmland in particular, trying to stake their claim to areas of habitat in which to raise their young.

Larger mobs continue to home in on wet paddocks too, with even quite small areas of open water attracting birds. Camo gear and a few silhouette decoys should enable hunters to bag a few birds.

With the wind continuing to fluctuate around the compass this weekend, there should be some ducks on the move again. Here's the outlook...

Weekend Weather Outlook

The brighter the colour the stronger the wind (Credit: Windy.com)

A low forming off the coast of Australia starts to track south-east over the weekend and moves across the lower South Island.

Because of the speed with which it is moving, and the high pressure system off to the east of the North Island, the winds are forecast to shift markedly and build over the weekend.

Strong northerlies start the day off for those in Taranaki on Sunday and eventually this increases and fills in through the rest of the lower North Island, meaning there should be a good shoot on offer later that afternoon and into the evening.

As the low moves off east of the lower South Island on Monday it will drag a very strong nor-westerly over the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions - not a bad way to start the week for those who can sneak out for a morning hunt.

Click here for the latest weather updates from Metservice, or visit the Windy website to track conditions coming our way.

Hunting & Fishing Photo Competition - Win $300 To Spend in Store

Scott Marsden sent in this panoramic shot of Opening morning near Foxton.

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-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-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 25, 2024. The winner will be notified via email.

Help Farmers With Pooks

Contrary to what is often claimed, pukeko are a surprisingly good table bird (Credit Hamish Carnachan)

As well as parries, farmers will also welcome a harvest of pukeko from areas where they have been causing problems, and a pukeko drive with a few hunting mates and their dogs can provide great hunting.

While the story about the gumboot and the pukeko is often re-told, don’t believe it. Pukeko can make great eating, so at least breast them out.

Check out top Kiwi chef Phil Hazeldine dishing them up. And here are some tips on breasting birds.

Monitoring Black Swan

Click on the audio player above to hear Fish & Game officer Lawson Davey talk about our black swan monitoring and what we've learnt about the species over 47 years of research.

Need Some Help With Your Duck Pond?

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.

Honours For Waterfowl Researcher

Williams helped establish many of the game bird monitoring techniques used by Fish & Game for population assessment (Credit: Hamish Carnachan)

Dr Murray Williams was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order Of Merit during the King's Birthday Honours last weekend.

The award recognises his services to wildlife conservation and science.

Williams, who is based in the lower North Island, spent more than 60 years in the fields and became the leading researcher in the country on waterfowl - both living and extinct species - with his work widely published here and overseas.

Early in his career, Williams' research into gamebirds lead to the science-based approaches to species management employed by Fish & Game today.

Get those Band Details In

If you manage to harvest any ducks wearing 'precious metal' this season, please get the details back to us.

Hunters are welcome to hold on to the band, we just want some basic information that goes with that precious metal - the banding programme is an important part of our mallard management.

Band info can be registered by, ringing the free phone number 0800 BIRD BAND (0800-247322).

Alternatively there's a ready-made form to fill out on the Fish & Game website here.

Need To Know - Transporting Firearms

Safety First This Season!

The team at Wellington-Taranaki Fish & Game would like to remind hunters about the importance of firearms safety and encourage you and your hunting buddies to refresh yourself with the seven rules of firearms safety.

1: Treat every firearm as loaded.
2: Always point firearms in a safe direction.
3: Chamber a cartridge only when ready to fire.
4: Identify your target beyond all doubt.
5: Check your firing zone.
6: Store and transport firearms and ammunition safely.
7: Avoid alcohol or drugs when handling firearms.

We hope you have a great season - please keep in touch and let us know how you're going.

*This report was accurate at time of writing. For your safety, please ensure you check the latest weather information before you head out hunting. And always be safe and responsible with firearms .