Both Barrels July 2023

Don’t put your shotgun away just yet! 

North Island hunters still have some fantastic upland game hunting options available to them.

Remember, it might not be in your region, but it could be a neighbouring Fish & Game region. 

Plus, many North Island regions have summer seasons for paradise shelducks, so check the regulations guide here to maximise your game bird hunting licence. 

South Island regions, except for Southland, still have two weekends of duck hunting before the main mallard season closes.

Check the regulations guide here to check out your hunting options. 

The Game Bird Habitat Stamp Photo Competition is now open!  

Check out this lovely pic from Amy Boyce, who entered it in the Game Bird Habitat Stamp Licence photo competition. 

Have you got a great photo of a game bird? 

Want to share in $2500 in prizes? 

Enter the Game Bird Habitat Trust's photo competition and get your photo on the 2025 game bird licence and habitat stamp.  

Generously supported by Kilwell Sports, you have to be in to win!  

Find out more here.  

Make sure your dogs are dosed for sheep measles 

One of the greatest risks to farmers regarding sheep measles is the introduction of foreign dogs onto the property.

Sheep measles is the term used to describe small blemishes in the muscle and offal of sheep and goats.  

These blemishes are unsightly and can disrupt our sheepmeat market as well as affecting our farmers’ bottom line. The cause is Taenia ovis, a tapeworm hosted by dogs. 

Infected dogs defecate, leaving tapeworm eggs on the ground; nearby sheep and goats graze the area and ingest the tapeworm eggs. 

These eggs travel through the bloodstream and embed into the muscle, where they die and calcify, damaging the meat. 

One tapeworm can produce up to 250,000 eggs daily, and some dogs can carry 3-4 worms. 

The method of prevention is simple.  All dogs must be dosed every month with Praziquantel, as Taenia ovis develops to maturity within 35 days. 

If you are not regularly taking dogs near farmland, you can still do your part by dosing all dogs with Praziquantel at least 48 hours prior to arrival. 

If farmers suspect hunters to be the source of infection, they are within their rights to deny access. 

Find out more at www.sheepmeasles.co.nz 

Don’t forget our four-legged hunting buddies

While on the subject of dogs, remember to reward our four-legged hunting buddies for all the tiresome work they do for us during the hunting season. 

You just have to ask a hunter without a dog what a difference a dog makes to retrieving birds. 

Without them, many of us would have lots of paddling, wading and generally mucking about to retrieve our birds. 

We should all find a way to reward our hunting buddies. 

Take a mate hunting 

Now is the time to get someone new into hunting; take the time to share all the good bits of hunting with some of your mates.

Let it be known among your social circle that you are prepared to take someone out hunting; you might be surprised who puts their hand up. 

By sharing hunting with as many people as possible, we can show them it is all about the harvest and ensure the ability of all hunters to be able to hunt in the future. 

Survey 

One of our supporters is doing an anonymous brand survey; they are keen for hunters to let them know what brands they use and what outdoor activities they do.

Click here to go in the draw for a $200 Prezzy card. 

The Firearms Registry is live 

The new Firearms Registry has been live for nearly a month, and the uptake has been great, with a steady flow of registrations by firearms licence holders. 

As a licence holder, you’re required to provide information about any firearms, restricted weapons, major firearm parts, prohibited magazines or pistol carbine conversion kits in your possession. 

You have until 24 June 2028 to register your firearms unless there’s an activating circumstance, such as when you renew your licence or purchase a firearm. At that time, you’re required to provide information to the Registry within a shorter time frame. When one of these circumstances happen, Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority let you know what you need to do.  

Once you’ve registered your arms items, there are also circumstances that require you to update your information in the Registry. It’s up to you to keep your information up to date.   

Go to firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/registry for more information.  

If you share a firearm

All arms items must be registered only once, by a single licence holder. If you share a firearm with someone in your home, only one of you needs to register the item.

You can find more information here under if you share a firearm with other people. 

If you have an endorsement

If you have an endorsement on your firearms licence, any firearms you have under permit will be recorded in the Police National Intelligence Application (NIA). The details of these items will not be transferred into the Firearms Registry, however. This is because Te Tari Pūreke need slightly different information about each firearm to meet the requirements of the Regulations. You must therefore register all items in your possession, including those you have a permit for. 

It’s quick and easy to register

Register at any time from 24 June by going to firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz and clicking on MyFirearms. Otherwise, the New Zealand based team will be available by phone on 0800 844 431 to help during business hours (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm).  

Social links

Follow Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority on social media for the most up-to-date information. You can follow on Facebook and LinkedIn 

Warm Barrels till next March

The Team at Fish & Game NZ