Northland Both Barrels May 2017

Clear Skies for Opening

I had heard about opening weekend in Northland being clear blue skies and a warm affair but I had hoped that coming up from Southland, that I would bring some more appropriate weather with me.

Unfortunately the requested weather forecast and all the appeals to mother nature went unanswered.

Above Right: Proud father Brett Cartwright and his daughter enjoying opening morning with their reliable pooch.

That did not mean that there were no good reports. 

Reasonable bags were reported from around the region.

It certainly seems that those that took the early morning or late evening opportunities had a good chance of getting their bag limits.

The Kaipara shot well with low cloud hanging around keeping the birds in close.

Those in the Far North also reported reasonable totals with those in main flight lines doing well.

For most places once the cloud burnt off unfortunately that stunning day sent a lot of birds skyward and out into the Tasman.

There’s always next year to hope for a decent weather window.

I did note travelling around the region on ranging duties that there is still a lot of opportunities on larger irrigation dams and ponds where there were ducks taking cover from all the activity.

Left: A deserted pond in the Ararua area.

Remember to scout out the region and do some door knocking and your hunting bag could be duly rewarded.

Remember to be respectful to landowners and ask for their permission to hunt on their land; it is a privilege to hunt on their properties.

It’s always nice to share your harvest too.

Congratulations to all those hunters I came across as everyone we checked this year were compliant.

It’s good to see hunters knowing what to expect when they are visited by a Ranger.

Remember to be courteous to our rangers and have your licence ready to be inspected as a lot of these guys volunteer their time for the good of our sport.

If you are looking for a good recipe to try for your opening haul this is great with a Weber or kettle BBQ try the beer can duck. With those inclined you could also replace the beer with cider.

Right: Beer Can Duck.

TopSail restaurant has joined the Game Bird Food festival in Northland.

We encourage you to support them by taking your harvested game birds along to their restaurant and getting their chefs to work their magic on your hard earned game birds.

Click here to find out more.

Check out this website for hunting and duck calling tips from Hunter Morrow the 2016 Duck calling national champion.

Also why not introduce a mate to game bird hunting?

Day licences are now available on line for hunters who want to give game bird hunting a go.

For more information, please check out Fish & Game website

Left: Field Officer Andrew Kirk calling up an opportunity.

Remember to make the most of the hunting season as the weather cools down and conditions can be more favourable to get the birds in close to increase your chances.

Hot Barrels!

Andrew Kirk, Northland Fish & Game Field Officer

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