Category: Both Barrels

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Both Barrels March 2023

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Welcome to our first Both Barrels of the 2023 hunting season.

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Both Barrels July 2022

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According to our fortnightly hunter harvest surveys, harvest and hunter effort was fairly typical this season.

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Both Barrels June 2022

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A common saying amongst anglers is that 90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fisherman - similar is true for hunters.

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Both Barrels May 2022

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Miracles do happen, for the first time in many years the opening weekend was not calm, sunny BBQ weather.

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Both Barrels April 2022

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The game bird season is almost here, and Fish and Game monitoring data is indicating we have yet another cracker season ahead.

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Both Barrels March 2022

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Both Barrels will start in earnest in April, giving all hunters access to some of the best minds in game bird hunting in New Zealand.

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Both Barrels July 2021

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We hope everyone who was able managed to get out at least once more throughout the 2021 season.

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Both Barrels June 2021

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Time sure has flown as we already have just less than a month of waterfowl season to go – make sure you get out and make the most of it!

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Both Barrels May 2021

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Opening Weekend 2021 was another stunning, beautiful day perfect for barbecuing in the sun but not so much for the duck hunting.

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Both Barrels April 2021

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This season is looking like another fantastic one: overall the mallard count is very similar to our last aerial count completed in 2019, which was the highest count we have...

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Both Barrels March 2021

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With less than six weeks to go until the game bird season, we welcome our readers of Both Barrels for 2021, the place where we keep you up to date...

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Both Barrels July 2020

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During the day, mallards will often rest up underneath willows located on the margins of our rivers.

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Both Barrels June 2020

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Opening weekend was a great success in Southland with plenty of birds about.

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Both Barrels May 2020

Good habitat greatly improves fledge success

From our Spring brood counts and ongoing wet Summer we have seen plenty of mallards, paradise shelduck and black swans getting around this season.

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Special Lockdown Edition Both Barrels April 2020

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Over the first two weeks of the lockdown, Fish & Game have been scenario planning around what form the game bird season might take.

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Southland Both Barrels July 2019

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We hope everyone had a great end to their waterfowl season in Southland.

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Southland Both Barrels June 2019

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All this wet weather has created lots of puddles for mallards.

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Southland Both Barrels May 2019

Opening day 2019 Father daughter team

Results from our annual game bird harvest survey put our opening weekend harvest at 13.8 mallards per hunter.

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Southland Both Barrels April 2019

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The extra rain we received in November and December meant our later nesting mallards fared well to have a very productive and successful breeding season.

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South Island Roundup - Both Barrels 2018

Ace game bird chef Phil Hazeldine presiding over a wild game feast.

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Both Barrels August 2018

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As the 2018 game bird season draws to a close, many hunters are reflecting on their success, saying it has been the best season they have experienced for a long time.

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Southland Both Barrels July 2018

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I am sure you've all noticed that the mallards are all pairing up and gearing for the upcoming breeding season.

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Southland Both Barrels June 2018

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We asked 121 game bird hunters over Opening Weekend what their thoughts were on regulations to encourage hunters to focus on 'green heads.'

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Southland Both Barrels May 2018

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Unfortunately the 2018 opening weekend will not go down as one of the best. In general, the number of mallards harvested was down in most areas.

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Southland Both Barrels April 2018

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Any wild population fluctuates around a mean. This is due to the natural fluctuation in environmental conditions and the impact of time lag on the response of a population.

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Both Barrels August 2017

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The game bird season has ended... or has it?

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Both Barrels South Island Roundup

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The waterfowl 2017 season has been and gone. We hope you managed to get out on a few hunting adventures this year and filled the freezer with enough duck to...

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Both Barrels North Island Roundup

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Heath Worsfold’s truck with a nice pheasant and a happy pup named Sneak.

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Southland Both Barrels July 2017

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There are only a few days left of the 2017 waterfowl season! Hopefully you've been out and experienced a few good hunts, and have the freezer stocked up with ducks...

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Southland Both Barrels June 2017

Dave puddle shoot

With all the steady rain the region has been experiencing lately there will be plenty of puddles springing up for worm-gorging ducks!

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Southland Both Barrels May 2017

Officer Mclardy with junior hunter

I suppose it has become partly expected, but this years’ Opening Weekend mirrored many of Southlands' previous Openings with beautiful clear blue skies and barely a breath of wind.

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Southland Both Barrels Apr 2017

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The mallard count from this season’s flight are in!

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Both Barrels Mar 2017

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Get set to hunt some game birds

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Southland Both Barrels May 2016

Opening day is probably the only day of the year when I wake up and I’m upset by a lack of wind!

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Auckland Waikato Both Barrels May 2016

The mallard, grey and shoveler seasons are now but a memory, and even parries and black swan are off limits with their seasons over.

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Otago Both BarrelsMay 2016

For what must be the 10th year in a row, Otago hunters woke to clear calm conditions for the Opening Day.

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Central South Island Both Barrels May 2016

Opening Weekend heralded fine and pleasant weather.

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North Canterbury Both Barrels May 2016

With the game bird season well underway and the hype of opening day now past, it's time to reflect on hunting successes firstly, then focus on the great game bird...

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West Coast Both Barrels May 2016

Large numbers of hunters turned out in the West Coast Region for Opening Weekend this year, both local hunters and many from other regions.

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Both Barrels May 2016

Fish & Game had three ranging teams out in the field on Opening Day this year, concentrating on private land around Blenheim and Murchison.

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Wellington Both Barrels May 2016

The weather was largely to blame for what can only be described as a patchy Opening Weekend, with very calm conditions in the Wairarapa and resultingly few birds moving around.

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Taranaki Both Barrels May 2016

While the hunter phone survey results are yet to be analysed, initial indications are that hunters were happy with their opening weekend bags – in many areas more mallards were...

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Northland Both Barrels May 2016

Opening Weekend game bird hunting produced a “great variety” of results for hunters around the Northland Peninsula.

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Hawke's Bay Both Barrrels May 2016

Fish & Game rangers along with police officers checked 57 waterfowl hunters over Opening Weekend.

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Eastern Both Barrels May 2016

Hunters can now take advantage of being able to hunt the 20-odd Crown-owned wetlands around the region administered by Fish & Game.

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