Game Bird Season Tough to Predict - Fish & Game Eastern Region

Fish & Game Eastern Region says it’s too tough to predict how well the game bird season is shaping up – with some species thriving but question marks over others.    

The season begins May 5 and runs until August 26th. Fish & Game is taking a conservative approach, opting for a six week season with a 10 bird limit for ducks.

Senior Fish & Game Officer Mathew Mc Dougall says the good news is that upland game populations and Paradise shelduck numbers appear to be similar to last year.

Black swan populations are probably down in the Rotorua lakes and Bay of Plenty areas but still very healthy, with Taupo on a par with previous years.  A total of more than 6000 birds were counted.

On the other hand, “mallard and grey duck are something of a mystery – we need to carry out more research to work out what’s happening with these species.”

The birds are monitored through annual trapping and banding sessions and this year’s work   turned up very few adults. In some parts of the region Fish & Game struggled to catch birds.

More than 80 percent of the birds trapped were juveniles  the most officers have ever recorded.  

“This is in fact a good thing for the game bird season in that these young birds which are less canny, often end up in the firing line and being harvested.”

Mr Mc Dougall says that one explanation is simply that with all the rain over summer, the adults didn’t need a free feed and kept away from the traps.

He urges hunters not to be too “duck obsessed” and to remember that the season for hunting upland game birds – pheasant and quail – rolls into mid-August, well past the close of the duck season. In addition to upland game birds, a game bird licence allows  the holder to hunt black swans and pukeko.

Mr Mc Dougall says hunters are reminded to check the bag limits and the seasons for different species that apply to their favoured hunting spots.  Note that the NZ Shoveler season is one month only, with a bag limit of two birds. Check your regulation booklet for these details or the Fish & Game website www.fishandgame.org.nz

Fish & Game, as usu al, wants to hear from hunters who harvest any birds with bands –by writing, phoning or emailing with details of the bird and its band number.  

Mr Mc Dougall urges hunters to take a fresh look at some safety pointers before heading out this season, by visiting the Fish & Game website.

This season an adult licence is $88, and a junior licence $19; children are free with a $2 contribution to the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust. A licence can be used in any of the Fish & Game regions round New Zealand.

ENDS

© Scoop Media