Game bird hunters – ‘don’t forget ‘pegging day’ to stake out your spot

Fish & Game is urging gamebird hunters to get out now and claim the maimai or duck shooting stand they used last year.

Pegging has to be done any time before 10am on Sunday April 5, 2015 – if hunters are to retain their favourite hunting spot. This rule applies in all 12 Fish & Game regions.

“Pegging your favourite maimai ensures that you are in the best position to harvest birds over opening weekend and have the right to continue to use that spot for the rest of the season, providing you are there within one hour after the opening hour of hunting,” says Policy and Planning Manager Robert Sowman.

“If the stand claimant hasn’t arrived in that first hour, then the maimai is able to be used by any other licensed hunter for the remainder of the day.”

To reclaim your spot for the upcoming season you first need to purchase your 2015/16 Game Bird Licence, which contains your claim tag. The new season licence went on sale on March 22, 2015.

If you are claiming an existing maimai for the first time, you must be present at 10am on pegging day, to ensure your claim is valid and legal. The licence holder claiming the stand must be present in person at the stand to mark it up.

Mr Sowman advises hunters to remember to check regional regulations for variations to species, bag limits and other changes.

He says that for example, That Auckland/Waikato and Wellington have restrictions on shot capacity and Hawke’s Bay Fish & Game officers are asking hunters to voluntarily limit their shotgun capacity to three shots for the coming season.

Hunters are also reminded to check the season and bag limits for the different species. For example, Auckland/Waikato and Eastern Regions will both have short seasons for grey and mallard ducks running from Saturday May 2 to June 1, while other North Island regions’ seasons run for longer.

Wellington’s season runs to June 15 while Northland, Hawkes Bay and Taranaki regions go for longer – to June 29.

In the South Island, where mallard populations are larger than in the north, the season for them runs for nearly three months from May 2 to July 26.

“As in the North Island regional bag limits vary, so hunters must be aware of regional differences and make themselves fully familiar with the rules and regulations that apply to the area they’ll be hunting in,” Mr Sowman says.

“With the prolonged drought-like conditions over much of the South Island during the summer months, taking the time to visit your hide will also give you an indication of the current water levels.

“Some hunters may find they need to look for an alternative hunting site come opening day, unless we receive significant rainfall in the weeks leading up to opening weekend.”

Hunters in all regions are urged to take advantage of the longer season for upland game birds, including pheasants and quail, which runs from May 2 to August 30 in a number of regions.

Pegging Information:

Where can I find all the ‘pegging’ rules?
These are found in the First Schedule section of the Game Bird Hunting Guide supplied free with your licence.

Do the pegging rules apply equally to private and public land?
Yes, BUT if you do not have landowner permission to hunt on any land (private or public) then the pegging rules are irrelevant.

On public land that I have a permit to hunt on, can I hunt from someone else’s maimai?
Yes, provided the maimai is not occupied before 7.30am. The hunter who has tagged or pegged the maimai only has the ’first rights’ privilege of occupying it until 7.30am then it is open to any other licensed hunter for the remainder of the day.

When am I allowed to “peg” a hunting spot?
If you ‘pegged out’ a spot in the previous gamebird season you can peg your spot any day, from when the licences become available in mid-March until before 10am, on pegging day (refer to the First Schedule section of the ‘Game Bird Hunting Guide’ for pegging day dates). After 10am on pegging day, any licence holder can peg any spot not already pegged.

I pegged a spot last year but hunted elsewhere at the last minute and someone else now wants to peg it. Can they?
No. You have the opportunity to re-peg the position before 10am on pegging day.

Can I peg up a new maimai on the other side of the river from an existing pegged maimai but it is only 70m away?
If your maimai position is within 90m of the existing maimai, then unless invited to be closer by the other party, you cannot peg it up. Even if your maimai is more than 90m away but another person’s safety is at risk, you should shift. Hunting safely is paramount.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Contact the Fish & Game Office in your region for hunting conditions and opportunities. Contact details are available in the complementary Hunting Regulation Guides, or on the website: www.fishandgame.org.nz