Both Barrels June 2024 - Eastern

The 2024 Eastern game bird season to date 

Picture Above: Mike and dog Dash with a nice cock pheasant.

The number of grey and mallard duck (greylard) shot per hour is a good indicator of how successful the Opening Weekend was.  This year it was 0.45 greylard per hour, which was better than the two previous years and above average for the last ten years.  However, by all accounts harvest dropped off after Opening Weekend as is often the case when numbers are low.  The fine weather has further exacerbated hunters efforts.  Nevertheless, hunters are reporting some fun paradise and black swan shooting following on from the end of the mallard season.  The paradise season is still on until the 30^th of June in most parts of the region and doesn’t close until the 14^th of July in the part of B1 North of the Uawa River in tolaga Bay (check your regulation guide).  Black swan can be hunted until the last weekend in August.

We aren’t getting much feedback on the upland game hunting other than there are birds there but you have to really work for them.  We had hoped for a better season than last year but I think we were kidding ourselves with the damage caused by the previous wet summers.

 

New Zealand Fishing, Hunting and 4X4 Expo

It’s on again! The highly successful NZ Fishing, Hunting and 4x4 Expo will run again in Rotorua on 23-25 August 2024. This year it’s going to be bigger and better. Follow their social media to keep in touch: https://www.facebook.com/NZfishinghunting4x4