Both Barrels July 2024 - Central South Island

‘A successful hunt for Hamish Stevens and Mark Kirsten during the 2024 season at Wainono Lagoon’ Photo by Rhys Adams

The traditional game bird hunting season is ending shortly in the Central South Island Region.

The mallard/grey duck, NZ shoveler duck, pūkeko and black swan seasons all close on the last Sunday in July.

For 2024, closing day is Sunday July 28.

We do hope you’ve had a great season so far and can get out again for another hunt.

Be sure to check out all the season dates first-hand in this 2024 Game Bird Hunting Guide, including those for our 2025 summer season.

If you are ever in doubt about a certain regulation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Central South Island Fish & Game: email - csi@fishandgame.org.nz, phone – 03 6158400.

The paradise shelduck and upland game seasons continue

Don’t put your shot gun away just yet.

The quail and chukar season close on the last Sunday in August.

Chukar

Chukar hunters are required to report their hunting activities to CSI Fish & Game within a month of the season closing date – that reporting deadline being 28 September.

To help with this reporting requirement chukar hunters are urged to contact us to receive a hunting diary that handily specifies all the pieces of information to provide. Please contact Hamish Stevens at our office to get yours – email hstevens@fishandgame.org.nz or phone 03 6158400.

Quail

Quail are scattered throughout the region and are most active on warm sunny days.  

Scrubby riverbed areas and rolling hills in the high-country strewn with matagouri are a good place to start looking for quail.

hunting quail in the scrubby river margins of the Rangitata River’ photo by Richie Cosgrove

Paradise shelduck / pūtakitaki

The parry season continues through to last Sunday in September, West of State Highway 1, within the Central South Island Fish & Game Region.

Winter break-feed paddocks and areas where farm animals are being fed-out supplementary feed can be hot spots for parries in late winter – especially in the high-country.

The scenic high-country surroundings add to the enjoyment of the hunt and there might even be a few Canada geese to hunt too.

Parries often decoy well, so if you find where they are feeding and set up right on that exact spot, chances are you’ll be in for some epic action.   

'hunting paradise shelduck in the high country is as much about the scenery as it is about the harvest' Photo by Rhys Adams

Plan for hunting in 2025

2025 summer season

Your current 2024 whole season game bird licence covers you for the 2025 summer season for mallard and paradise shelduck.

For just two weekends in February, four days total, mallard and paradise shelduck can be hunted under specific and restrictive ‘summer season’ regulations.

We urge anyone intending to hunt the summer season to thoroughly read the regulation guide and to get in touch with our office if any clarification is needed.  

Need a spot for Opening Weekend 2025?

Depending on water levels the Central South Island Fish & Game Council has up to 15 stands available for hunting the Opening Weekend on wetlands it owns or manages.

The stands offer modest hunting opportunities and are a great way to secure a spot for opening in attractive hunting grounds.

Rights to hunt these stands on Opening Weekend are balloted annually – you can apply to enter the ballot during the month of February. If this sounds like the plan for you then be sure to mark it in your 2025 calendar now and get in touch with us in February.

Our managed wetlands webpage has all the ballot info you need - click here

Promoting our values

CSI Fish & Game promote game bird hunting in various ways, including this Both Barrels newsletter, our annual pre-season magazine and in the local papers.

Through this promotion it is important that we show the general public and our local communities who we are as game bird hunters, how/when/where we hunt and what we value.

For example, it is helpful to remind members of the public that the gun fire they hear coming from the wetland throughout the season is nothing to be concerned about, rather, it is just a ‘loud’ way for their fellow member of the community to harvest free-range meat – an adventurous alternative to a trip to the supermarket.

Sharing a photo of community members like you out hunting is a great way to personalise hunters in the community. It’s a great reminder to whoever reads the paper, like your mates on the school board or in the net ball team etc, that duck hunters are just regular folks like them who love hunting and harvest ducks for dinner.

If you would like to help us to promote game bird hunting, please consider emailing good-quality photos of you and your hunting companions from the CSI Region over the 2024 game bird season.

Email photos for consideration to Rhys Adams: radams@fishandgame.org.nz

‘Muddy good fun – a father and son duck hunt for Rhys and Evan Adams at a public wetland’ Photo by Rhys Adams

Avoid Semi Auto Rage – with end of season maintenance!

I learned the hard way that end of season maintenance for semi-auto guns must be done.

Last season ended with a clean gun exterior and breach; no need to dissemble for a thorough I reasoned. So, away it went into lock-up till the next season.

My first three hunts in the new season were marred but cycling issues; my semi-auto rendered to a glorified single shot.

I can’t say I got to rage point, but I was rather irritable.

Turns out water and debris had made its way into my recoil/return spring and it was slow and sticky with corrosion and gunk.

On retrospect, I should have noticed the ever-so-slightly slower bolt close on an empty gun.

A mid-season maintenance session with CRC followed by gun oil had me back on track.

YouTube videos were super helpful for finding how-to steps on disassembly and reassembly of my gun model – a real confidence booster.

Never again will I forgo the end of season gun maintenance!

Greg Duley of NZ hunter did a helpful write up on the topic of ‘semi-auto rage’ in issue 58 of Fish & Game NZ magazine – check it out on page 22 here.

Pay it forward

Plastic pollution of our wild environments is a global issue; unfortunately, the places we love to hunt game birds in New Zealand are not immune.

Sources of environmental plastic pollution are far and wide; even game bird hunting is a minor contributor.

Plastic wads and cartridge cases, components of our shotgun ammunition, can end up in the environment.

Hunters can ‘pay it forward’ and proactively offset any accidental plastic pollution by removing more plastic from the environment than they deposit.

Here are three ways hunters can pay it forward by picking up and disposing of environmental plastic pollution you find:

• First, pick up old plastic wads and cartridge cases found while hunting.
• In the off-season, pick up plastic wads or cartridges cases or lost decoys, for instance, while fishing, walking the dog, or scrubbing up the maimai.
• Generally, pick up any other pieces of plastic found around the places you hunt. If possible, be sure to recycle.

'be sure to pick up and dispose of old cartridge cases and wads found while hunting’ Photo by Bruce Quirey 

Hot barrels

Rhys Adams, Central South Island Fish & Game Officer