Hopes for ‘healthy improvement’ in new Auckland/Waikato game bird season

Auckland Waikato Fish & Game officers say prospects for the game bird season have improved over last year’s – with farmers reporting high numbers of waterfowl breeding.

The season for mallard, grey and shoveler ducks begins on Saturday, May 2,2015, and runs until June 1, Queen’s Birthday Monday.

Northern Wildlife Manager John Dyer says that farmers are reporting good numbers of birds breeding in their drains and other wetlands – particularly if they’ve had a predator control programme in place.

“After a series of badly-timed floods several years ago, we’ve seen a steady climb back for local dabbling duck populations.

“However other species such as paradise shelduck have been much less affected. In fact, the last few breeding seasons seem to have been ideal over summer for both pheasants and quail raising chicks.”

Mr Dyer says paradise shelduck and black swan can be hunted until June 28 in the Auckland/ Waikato Region.

And to get maximum value from their game bird licence, hunters are urged to take advantage of the upland game bird season, which runs until the end of August 2015. Pheasant, quail and pukeko can all be hunted until August 30.

Mr Dyer notes that season lengths are varied according to the numbers of each species “and the amount of hunting pressure each one receives.”

“The goal is to ensure a sustainable harvest with enough birds always surviving to breed, to sow the seed for the following year’s harvest.

“A variety of monitoring programmes ensure this, for instance hunter field checks, hunter phone surveys, banding of birds and aerial counts before the season begins.”

Mr Dyer says Fish & Game encourages hunters to target pukeko over a generous four month season as they “unfortunately do extensive and almost wanton damage to all manner of crops, everything from watermelons, (one bite makes them unmarketable), to Chinese vegetables.”

They also eat duck eggs and kill ducklings as well as destroying the young of many other birds, even killing mice, not such a bad thing, he says.
There are several competitions on to encourage hunters to target predators, such as Hunting & Fishing’s ‘Swamp Comp’ and Franklin Acclimatisation Society also holds a Pukeko Shoot and Predator Competition.

“The goal is to control pukeko numbers where they are excessive or inappropriate, but not to eliminate them.”

Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game urges hunters to swot up on local rules and regulations. For example hunters cannot shoot within 30 days of opening within 100 metres of “any water area” that has been deliberately fed, (with maize, barley, etc.), to attract ducks or shelducks. So that’s from April 2 to June 28.

The Region also enforces a three-shot rule which requires hunters to plug their magazines so that they accept only two rounds, so the shotgun has a “total capacity” of three rounds in all.

“If a ranger can get more than two rounds in the magazine, then regardless of any excuse, the person will receive an offence notice and will likely have their shotgun confiscated,” says Mr Dyer.

“This year we’d ask that hunters who are preparing ducks for the table to check for transmitters surgically implanted in their abdomen, “preferably before they roast them!”

The transmitters are part of a PhD study into mallard productivity and can be used again if recovered and Fish & Game officers are notified.

The latest Auckland Waikato Fish & Game 2015 newsletter mailed out to all gamebird licence holders contains a review of the research.

Mr Dyer says that duck hunting newbies should invest a modest $5 to buy Getting Started in Gamebird Hunting DVD from licence agents or any Fish & Game office. They should also sign up for Fish & Game’s free E-zine Both Barrels which has regular updates on the season and lots of useful tips (http://hunting.fishandgame.org.nz/both-barrels-hunting-newsletter) .

Fish & Game rangers will again be out checking that people have current game bird licences, and are sticking to bag limits and other rules.
“There are a whole variety of costs associated with getting caught including loss of confiscated equipment, fines, lawyers’ fees, and time off work to appear in court.”

Mr Dyer says that any residents new to living in the countryside and having a crack at game bird hunting, should note the Saturday May 2 opening day starts at 6:30am.

Habitat work carried out this year includes the completion of a million dollar wetland restoration on Fish & Game owned wetland within the eastern Whangamarino district near Te Kauwhata.

Mr Dyer says that Fish & Game has tipped the balance against these pest-plants to restore much more useful flora and fauna including gamebirds and non-game alike; everything from nationally endangered bittern to rare black mudfish and more.

“Also we have isolated the rare and unique peat-bog in the middle of this block from the damaging effects of silt and nutrient run-off from nearby land.

“We could not have done this without considerable financial help from the Waikato River Authority, Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust and Ministry for the Environment. ”

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