Wellington/Taranaki - Weekly Hunting Bulletin 8 May 2025

Season Gets Off To A Good Start  

The season is officially underway! It was generally a solid Opening Weekend in the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions.      

In the Wellington region the southerly weather system on the eve of Opening really dispersed the ducks and high water levels in lakes and rivers, and pond pasture, ensured good flights of birds through Saturday. 

Sam White had a great hunt in Wairarapa on Sunday morning with a bag limit of greenheads by mid morning (Credit: Hamish Carnachan)

Hunters right down the bottom of Wairarapa had a slow time with mallards having moved away from the wild weather near the coast. Those further up the valley, however, had great shooting with ducks moving around well until it went still on Sunday evening.

Reports from Manawatu indicate those hunters who had put in the prep and really worked on concealment around their maimais were rewarded with good bags despite calm conditions.

Coastal Taranaki shot well, as did areas with higher concentrations of hunters which helped move the birds around.

Brooklyn Hale (5) and Vinnie Jackson (11) with results of their first duck hunt on Opening Morning. (Photo: Scott Hale).

In other parts of the Taranaki region, the first hour or so was action-packed and then slowed as sun and clear skies developed, with attention shifting to manning the BBQ and spending quality time with friends and family.

Fish & Game rangers in both Wellington and Taranaki were generally happy with the levels of compliance, however, some indiscretions around the use of lead shot and being slightly over the bag limit resulted in several shotguns being seized.    

Obviously it is still very early days and the best of the season is still to come when more winter weather arrives. So, if you didn't get out over the weekend, get your licence now and get excited for the hunting to come! 

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

If you require the regulations for other regions, please scan the QR code below, which is also on the front of your regulations book you will have received with your licence.

           

Good Blow Coming Tomorrow

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

A decent weather front will come through from the north-west on Friday with wind and heavy rainfall for parts of the lower North Island, particularly around north and central Taranaki, coastal Manawatu and the lower Wairarapa valley.

The strong nor-wester should stir the ducks off the big water again and the rain may leave some ponding in pasture. It’s a fast-moving front, though, and it’s looking like another fine weekend but there should be good flights on Saturday morning in some parts.

Dams and ponds, including farm oxidation ponds, that were not shot on Opening Weekend will be good places to target this weekend. Hunters shouldn't overlook the streams and rivers where ducks have been camped out over summer-autumn either. 

Now the birds are more educated after Opening, they'll be hanging out in areas of refuge so scout around for pockets of water that might take a little more effort to reach. Despite the calm weather for the weekend, there will still be reasonable movements of birds morning and evening at these spots.      

Talk to some local farmers, as they’ll know which pools and riverbends are holding ducks and a camo net and a handful of well-placed decoys may be all that is required.

Hunting News  

You may already have received a copy of our 2025 'Hunting News' in the mail. 

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

Derek and Ollie Mitchell inspect the family's Opening Morning harvest from Wairarapa.

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 31, 2025. The winner will be notified via email.

Target Swan This Season

Recognising that hunter harvest is the most economic and effective means of controlling the black swan population, Wellington Fish & Game has a liberal bag limit of five birds per hunter per day. 

Given large congregations of swan in areas like Lake Wairarapa can contribute to environmental issues and create problems for neighbouring farmers when they graze on pasture, we strongly encourage hunters to make the most of the liberal limit and genuinely target swan this season.

Some quick tips:

• Swan have excellent eyesight just like other game birds, so good camo and keeping still is crucial.
• Swan respond well to decoys, particularly on pasture where you can have productive shooting from a layout blind.
• Despite appearances, swan can fly about the same speed as ducks. Many hunters miss swan behind because they don’t account for their speed in flight.

Some hunters might shy away from harvesting swan in the mistaken belief they aren’t good table fare. It is actually an excellent and versatile protein for bulking up sausages and salamis containing other game meat like duck and venison offcuts.

Your local butcher can prepare these for you, but they generally only take large quantities of meat.

Video of The Week - How To Lead Ducks 

Despite decoying into range, did you find you failed to catch up with as many ducks as you'd hoped over Opening because you simply missed them?

It could be an issue with leading the birds incorrectly, something inexperienced hunters are prone to as well as some old hands who haven't fired a shotgun for some time.         

Click the screenshot above to check out gun-cam footage of how to lead birds. 

Ethical Hunting - A Reminder

Our social licence to continue to hunt game birds and keep this great Kiwi tradition alive is under constant and increasing scrutiny.

Make sure you play your part to protect game bird hunting by being an ethical and responsible hunter. 

• Remove all rubbish from the hunting area and dispose of offal and carcasses responsibly (this means in a farm dead-hole or rubbish bin, not dumped in public areas).
• Respect private property and always obtain access permission.
• Be considerate of non-hunters. 
• Shoot only within the effective range of your firearm and your capabilities, and only when a quick, clean kill is likely. 
• Retrieve all shot birds promptly and dispatch wounded game birds quickly and humanely.
• Always follow the seven golden rules of firearms safety.
  
  

Game Bird Jerky - Oh So Good! 

Here’s another great way of utilising swan and parrie breast meat... transforming it into delectable, moorish jerky!

1. In a large bowl combine (in equal amounts) some salt, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce so that you have enough to cover the amount of meat you’re using.
2. Place breast meat in the sauce mixture whole, cover with cling film and put in the fridge.
3. Leave to marinate for 24-36 hours.
4. After marinating, rinse off the brine and slice very thinly across the grain.
5. Pre-heat oven on fan bake to 80degC.
6. Spread the meat slices on a lined oven tray. Bake for around 20 minutes at 80degC to kill any bacteria.
7. Reduce temperature to 40degC and cook for six hours, turning occasionally.
   
   

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