Wellington/Taranaki Weekly Hunting Bulletin - 7 May 2026

Great Weather Front For Weekend Hunt   

Typical Opening Weekend weather across the Wellington and Taranaki regions made for a patchy start to the season but there’s some wild weather coming our way which will give hunters a really good shot at bagging some birds! 

Despite the woeful waterfowling weather, hunters were generally happy to be out and be part of the 2026 season kick-off.           

Pictured - Ollie Mitchell was stoked to be out hunting with his family over Opening Weekend (Photo: Derek Mitchell) 

Our ranging teams reported good levels of compliance and were encouraged to see so many family groups enjoying the weekend, with one hunter travelling all the way from Dubai just to shoot Opening Weekend with mates before returning on Monday!   

Opening Morning decoy spread in Manawatu (Credit: Matt Kavermann) 

Now the hype of Opening is behind us, you can turn your attention to the serious hunting that lies ahead. And the Weather Gods are smiling on us this weekend. 

Strong, gale in parts, winds are forecast across the entire lower North Island with rain thrown into the mix too - not great for kids' sports but ideal duck hunting is on the cards over the next three to four days. 

     

Grab Your Licence - Get Into The Action 

If you missed the start of the season, get your new season 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. 

Hot barrels - here's the outlook for the weekend... 

 

Strong, Shifty Winds Will Keep Ducks Moving 

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

A very strong weather system rolls down on us from the north tomorrow afternoon, bringing gale northerly to nor-west winds and heavy rain for some parts. 

As we move into Saturday the northerlies will back off but then swing right around to the south, south-west quarter over the ensuing 12 hours. 

The very strong southerly really starts to punch into the bottom of the North Island from midday Sunday, whipping it's way further up country as the day goes on. 

This will make superb hunting conditions, with the shifting winds keeping the birds moving throughout the weekend. 

If you can get into position ahead of the winds hitting, you'll have a fantastic hunt!     

       

Opening Weekend Round-Up

Sam White came down to Wairarapa from Auckland to hunt Opening Weekend (Credit: Hamish Carnachan)

 

• Wellington Fish & Game Region

The hunting over Opening was sporadic, with some parties having good flights of ducks coming through and others only seeing birds trickle in in pairs and fours over longer intervals.

Saturday saw the normal flurry of activity over the first hour or two. Several hunting groups encountered by rangers in Wairarapa and Manawatu limited out early, others were much slower. 

All hunters had some birds on the ground though and were still looking forward to an evening flight. 

Foggy conditions in parts played in hunters favour on Sunday morning and those who stuck it out ended up with some reasonable mixed bags of mallards, parries and swans.

Despite the slow start to the season caused by the benign weather, hunters are excited for the season ahead and the weather system bearing down on us this weekend should see plenty of guns out.     

An excellent mixed bag from Taranaki (Credit: Allen Stancliff)

 

• Taranaki Fish & Game Region

Some ponds that usually hold plenty of water were dry on opening day, which shows that the rains in April were not sufficient in some south Taranaki coastal areas

By mid-morning, hunters were either going jump shooting, cooking up a feed, or going to town for a pie and waiting for the evening shoot.

Hunters on the larger lakes did better, with birds coming in through the day.

North Taranaki hunters did well on parries, with some good bags of mallards also taken.

Most hunters enjoyed their Opening with friends and family, even if the hunting was slow at times. Be sure to make the most of the great conditions heading our way this weekend. 

 

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.    

 

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!

• Fast-Roast Whole Duck

While whole ducks have been traditionally roasted ‘low and slow’, the ‘high and fast’ method delivers a better finish on the skin and tender meat without drying it out.

Start by patting the duck dry with paper towels. Drizzle some oil on the duck before seasoning generously with salt, including inside the cavity. You can add herbs inside for extra flavour.

Preheat your oven to 250°C. Place the duck breast-side down in a roasting tray and cook for about 22 minutes. Smaller ducks may need a bit less time; large drakes may need a bit more.

Once done, rest the duck for 4–5 minutes before carving. There should be some pinkness remaining in the breast.

For more recipes, click the image above.  

 

Are You Setting Your Decoys Right?

Decoys are in tight with space to land and within shooting range - in front of the maimai. Credit: Allen Stancliff.

Along with inadequate camouflage of maimais and shooting possies, one of the main errors we see when out ranging is poor decoy placement and spreads.

Many hunters are still of the view that you can haphazardly throw out a bunch of decoys and the ducks will just arrive. Wrong. 

There's quite a science to decoy sets. Important considerations include how many to use, the type of decoys, and how you lay them out.

We've broken this down into an easily understood guide with simple diagrams to help you get it right and ultimately draw more ducks into shooting range. 

Click here to check it out.    

 

Photo Comp - Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

Bean (GSP), Jense Noteboom had a nice limit of mallards on the Rangitikei River by 9am on Opening Morning - he's pictured with Bean (the GSP), and wife and dog-handler Marlene.  

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 - 'When Conditions Are Right' 

Even on a tiny pond, the duck hunting can be awesome when the conditions are right (just like what we've got heading our way this weekend). 

Click the screenshot above watch! 

 

Get Your Band Details In

Every band matters so if you recover a duck with bling on its leg this 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.

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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.