Both Barrels April 2023

North Canterbury
19/04/2023

It’s only a few days till Opening Morning, and it's pretty exciting to see good mobs of ducks flying about around the region.

We've had a good summer with plenty of frequent rain, which has meant plenty of habitat available for all of our waterfowl and no stress of drought.

Duck numbers are good, and there should be plenty of opportunity for hunters on Opening Morning.

Now's the time to be doing any last-minute preparation and getting your gear ready for opening morning, don't forget to buy your licence too.

Maimai checks are complete!

North Canterbury Fish & Game staff have been out on Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere checking and marking the locations of all maimai on the lake as part of our management agreement.

We check and record who has tagged each stand and check there are no hunters using their temporary paper tag on one maimai and their plastic tag on another.

Double tagging is an offence under the Wildlife Act, and hunters found doing this are likely to be charged with an offence.

Compliance is generally high, as hunters are aware that being charged with a Wildlife Act offence may cost them their Firearms Licence due to Arms Regulations changes in 2021.

As well as checking for correct tagging, we check the condition of maimai and make sure they fit within the agreed specifications allowed for maimai on the lake.

Duck night May 3rd

The annual Hunting & Fishing Tower Junction Duck Night is on Wednesday, May 3rd.

This popular event always has some great advice and tips from the team of hunters that the crew at Hunting & Fishing Tower Junction assembles and is well worth attending.

There will be a bunch of us from North Canterbury Fish & Game there as well, ready to answer any questions that hunters have for us.

Regulation Changes

There have been a few changes to the hunting regulations for North Canterbury Hunters this year.

•Shoveler removed from aggregate bag limit

•No Black swan hunting in August

•Summer Paradise Duck season - No hunting within 200m from water in Area A

•Pheasant weekend dates - 3rd & 4th June, 1st & 2nd July, 5th & 6th August

Be sure to check all the other regulations by downloading a copy of them here.

Above all, the team here at North Canterbury Fish & Game wish everyone a safe hunting season.

Warm Barrels

Richie Cosgrove, North Canterbury Fish & Game.