New game bird season delivers ‘mixed bag’ for hunters

New game bird season delivers ‘mixed bag’ for hunters

There have been some very mixed fortunes for thousands of hunters who have turned out today, as the new game bird hunting season opened (May 2) – with the weather dealing “good cards” to the ducks.

Fish & Game rangers have been out in force around the country, sometimes in combined operations with Police, to check that hunters were toeing the line on bag limits and other regulations.

Communications manager Don Rood says there have been some striking contrasts between areas that have been very quiet and others where hunters are “more than happy.”

He says the fine weather stacked the cards in favour of waterfowl in both the North and South islands.

“Instead of wet and windy weather in which the ducks fly low, it’s been fine and calm in most places – which gives the birds a real edge.”

Mr Rood says that areas where lots of ducks have been sighted include the Hauraki Plains. One Auckland-Waikato councillor had described it as their best opening in recent years. In other parts of the region success had been mixed.

Other bright spots included the Kaituna area near Te Puke where there were reported to be “birds everywhere,” along with parts of Otago and North Canterbury.

One group of four people hunting in the central South Island had shot 60 mallards and paradise shelduck, and in Otago most hunters had happily bagged birds, one pair had harvested 25 birds between them.

On the West Coast, there had been healthy bags of paradise shelduck and greylards.

In Southland, the calm clear conditions had made hunting hard and coastal waterways had proved a better bet. More than 10 firearms had “regrettably” been seized for “foolish” offences ranging from no game bird licence to using lead shot.

However, in general around the country, hunters are to be congratulated for sticking to ‘rules and regs’ with no evidence of any widespread flouting of the rules.

Mr Rood emphasised that the information which had come in was all early reports from morning hunts and in many places, things may well improve in the evening.

Fish & Game Eastern Region Manager Andy Garrick echoed the comment, saying the weather had “gone against hunters.”

He firmly believed that prospects would improve later in the season however, with more favourable weather conditions. “I’m very optimistic we will end up with a better season than we’ve had in recent years.”

ENDS

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