Both Barrels July 2024 - West Coast

Closing weekend is upon us!

With a stable forecast between now and closing day, birds should be predictable, and scouting will be very beneficial. The frosts forecasted should help contrate birds and create some good hunting opportunities. Late season hunting can bring mixed results, with paired birds being anti-social while lone drakes’ decoy especially well. For management purposes hunting the excess drakes rather than pairs is great, so take them if you can! Like last year, pukeko harvest is right up again on the West Coast, so be sure to fill in your days out hunting by giving them a nudge also. Lastly good mobs of swans have been observed around our larger waterbodies and farmers will often readily give access to those wanting to target them. A great way to round off the season is bagging some big birds!

Key an eye out for banded birds

A banded mallard taken in South Westland. Photo Callum Nolan-Smith

With banding only occurring in the North Island, shooting a banded bird on the West Coast is very unlikely but it is possible.

Callum Nolan-Smith found out first hand, after shooting a banded mallard in South Westland at the end of June. The young drake was banded in the Wellington Region, in December 2023, flying over 512.5km to get to where he was shot, just six months later.

With 86% of banded birds recovered within 50km of the banding site, these great flights aren’t common, but it sure makes a great surprise for us South Islanders when they end up down here.

The information gathered from banding work plays an important role in both research and the management of greylards, particular in the North Island.

So, if you are lucky enough to harvest a banded bird, please go to the following link and complete the band return form.

Please select here.

Opportunities beyond July

A successful family hunt. Photo Alex Stewart

Closing day is Sunday the 28th of July, following that, game bird hunters will have to wait till summer to hunt game birds again on the West Coast.

This is allowing the birds to go undisturbed over the breeding season.

Come Summer, from the 1st of January to the 16^th of March 2025 hunters will be able to target pukeko (daily bag limit of 20).

Paradise shelduck can be hunted between the 22^nd of February and 16^th of March 2024 (daily bag limit of 15) at locations 200m away from open water.

Swans can also be hunted between the 22^nd of February and 16^th March 2025 (daily bag limit of 4).

The intent of the summer pukeko season is to create additional hunting opportunities for the abundant game birds benefiting both hunters and landowners alike.

It is also hoped that with the longer day length experienced during summer hunters might be able to get out more and take the opportunity to introduce someone new to the sport.

As for the paradises shelduck and swan summer season, this is to aid landowner in dispersing large mobs of post moult birds of agriculture land.

Local Clay Bird Target Clubs are always keen to have additional numbers at their events.

Try to go along in the offseason – club members are full of knowledge when it comes to shotgun shooting and are more than happy to share it.

Next season you will shoot much better as you will have kept your eye in during the offseason and might have even got rid of the odd bad habit or two.

Organised Hunts

Some of the participants of the Karamea event proudly showing their harvest. Photo Baylee Kersten

Organised hunts are completed for the year and were a big success.

Hunter bagged plenty of birds and had a great time doing so!

Attendance levels were ideal this year with fifteen to twenty hunters at all three events.

If numbers get over twenty, we will likely start turning away hunters as it has been found that around is twenty hunters is the optimum number for our drives.

West Coast licence holders are given priority to all events, therefore if you are planning on doing any hunting in the West Coast Region ensure you grab a West Coast licence as we’d hate for you to miss out.

If you are interested in future events and want to be added to keen hunters lists email [email protected] or contact the office.

There are still a few important dates on this year calendar so be sure to have a look below.

Event	Date	Location
Closing Weekend	27th & 28th July 2024	Everywhere
Opening of Summer Pukeko Season	1st January 2025	Everywhere
Opening of Summer Paradise Shelduck & Swan Season	22nd February 2025	Locations 200m or more from open water for Paradise Shelduck
Closing of Summer Seasons	16th March 2025	Everywhere

Get amongst it!

Baylee Kersten, West Coast Fish & Game Officer