Game bird hunting ‘hard work’ in Indian summer   9 May 2016

7 May 2016

Game bird hunting ‘hard work’ in Indian summer, but many take home good bags

The warm Indian summer made it “hard work” for many duck hunters today as the new game bird hunting season opened – but in some regions hunters have headed home happy.

Thousands of hunters, including many in family groups, turned out across the country.

Fish & Game staff in parts of both North and South islands reported warm mild conditions, when cloudy rainy weather is preferred by seasoned hunters.

In the central North Island at places such as Reporoa near Taupo, conditions were warm and calm.

However Fish & Game staff in the north of the Waikato say the start to the season was “above average,” considering the warm sunny conditions.

Rangers saw groups who’d got close to their bag limit, and a father and son for example, who’d bagged 19 birds between them.

The Kaituna wetland area near Te Puke was reported to be another bright spot.
In Gisborne too, hunters had harvested a reasonable number of birds, but mostly paradise shelduck.

In the Manawatu, ducks were reported to be flying high in the fine clear weather. But in the Horowhenua district, some hunters were getting bag limits though “working hard to achieve success.”

Elsewhere in the Wellington region, Fish & Game ranging staff say most hunters were happy – some getting limit bags and other close to it.

Down south, a Fish & Game officer in the Canterbury Region spoke of rolling up his sleeves mid morning in the 20 degree heat. Hunters who had shot at ponds on private land in the region had fare better than those in more open areas.

Nelson Marlborough’s opening was described as “slow and steady” in Murchison in particular, with a moderate number of birds harvested.

In the Central South Island Region, two teams of rangers had covered 25 ponds and sighted lots of ducks, and found hunters achieving “okay bags” of about eight mallards and a couple of paradise shelduck each. Those spoken to were happy and enjoying the pleasant weather.

On the West Coast, staff say foggy conditions made for an ideal start to the season on the lower reaches of the bigger rivers.

Fish & Game rangers say there were lots of hunting parties, including family groups – and at least one party had harvested their bag limit by 8.30am.

Fish & Game Communications Manager Don Rood says while most hunters, their families and friends enjoyed a good day out, he was dismayed to see the start of the season marred by three incidents in both the North and South islands.

He says the incidents must be viewed in the context of a unique event where up to thirty thousand turn out to hunt on just one day; but of course any mishap no matter how serious is one too many.

“We can only repeat our call for a single-minded focus on safety rules – from every single hunter out there,” he says, “including very careful supervision of young hunters.”

Mr Rood noted there is no shortage of safe hunting advice out on our own and Mountain Safety Council websites, for example.

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