Both Barrels June 2022

The seemingly relentless wind and wet weather in recent weeks have seen ducks holding on ponds and river bends with good levels of cover, but feeding opportunities provided by worms and bugs forced to the surface in wet paddocks will inevitably get ducks moving around.

Farms, where maize silage is being fed to cows, should also attract both mallards and paradise shelduck.

With the long Matariki weekend coming up on 24 – 26 June and the final weekend for ducks on 2/3 July there is still time to get those last few hunts in.

Above Right: Tia in action (photo Murray Dobbin).

Reminder on duck band details

Please remember to send in any details of duck bands.

If you've successfully harvested a duck with a band on its leg, we need your help.

This information is crucial to our research and management - so please provide as much detail as possible, including an approximate location.

This is for our records only.

The preferred method is to fill out an online form via the link: https://fishandgame.org.nz/game-bird-hunting-in-new-zealand/banding-form/

or else contact the Taranaki Fish & Game office on 0212700239 or email taranaki@fishandgame.org.nz

Send in your band details before August 31, and you'll go in the Banding Together draw.

Hunting & Fishing NZ in association with Banded Avery has generously provided five prizes consisting of two boxes of Banded XD (extra detail) decoys.

This includes one box of mallards and one box of NZ shoveler decoys.

When we receive the weekly update of band returns from DOC’s Falcon database we try to get the information out to hunters as soon as possible.

The data we receive allows us to inform hunters of the sex and age of the bird when banded (adult or juvenile), and when & where the bird was banded.

We also include a map with the distance between banding and recovery locations (some birds travel over 240kms!)

Still plenty of hunting available

While the season of ducks and swan ends on Sunday 3^rd July in Taranaki, pheasant and pukeko can be hunted for another 8 weeks through to Sunday, August 28.

Pheasant

Permits for hunting in Harakeke and Tauwhare forests near Whanganui are available in a weekly draw.

To participate in the draw, hunters must obtain a free permit from Taranaki F&G (0212700239 or taranaki@fishandgame.org.nz), then prior to noon each Thursday contact Taranaki F&G to go into the draw for a permit for the coming weekend.

Harakeke is divided into two blocks and Tauwhare Forest is a single block, all available on Saturday and Sunday only.

Hunters can apply for one or more blocks and/or days but if hunting as a group, then just one application per group.

Applicants will be advised of their success or otherwise each Thursday afternoon.

Being successful in the draw is a condition of a valid access permit for that particular time and place.

For the Nukumaru hunting area, there is no weekly draw, but hunters need a permit from Taranaki F&G and they must contact the respective grazing lessee listed on their permit prior to hunting.

Pukeko

Pukeko are most abundant in the region north of a line from Stratford to Okato and in this area they can at times cause damage to commercial horticulture crops including vegetables and fruit trees such as feijoas and citrus.

Pukeko can also damage maize plantings in spring and peck holes in silage wrap and stack covers.

Farmers will therefore welcome a harvest of pukeko from these areas, with a walk-up shoot by several hunters and dogs through areas of suitable habitat being a good way to go.

Hot Barrels

Allen Stancliff, Taranaki Fish & Game