Duck
Hunting
Duck hunting guides
& outfitters in in
New Zealand, at beautiful Lake Brunner. The duck hunting season opens Saturday
4th May and continues through until late July. Some species, notably Paradise
Duck and Canada Geese, can be shot through the winter, depending on
the region. We provide packages which include accommodation & meals, hunting equipment, licenses, guides
Host & guide Ben Kemp has been hunting
the local area for over 35 years, and can provide access to a number of ponds,
streams and lake margins. Below, the
drift boat makes easy access to your blind, or mai-mai, when you are
at the lake duck hunting.
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Duck hunting
Lake Poerua - 2001 |
In this area, whilst mallards predominate, the native Grey ducks are also
around in numbers. The gregarious and dominant Mallards apparently interbreed
with Greys, no doubt contributing over time to the drop in numbers evident over
the past 40 years of hunting here. A few Shoveller ducks, so called because of
the shape of their beak, may also be seen. Very fast, similar in size and colour
to the Grey, they are too quick for most shooters. Usually you here them coming
about the time they've gone past! The Black Scaup (aka Black Teal) are around in large numbers -
these are protected. Scaup are easily identified - small, black-brown, they fly flat
and low and very, very fast. Their characteristic whistle also gives their
identity away. Paradise Duck, actually a shelduck, can also be encountered in
quite large numbers. They prefer open grasslands, paddocks, and grass verges of
ponds. Black Swan inhabit local lakes in large numbers.
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| Concealed
at the lake edge... |
And the
retreival after a succesful session. |
From the
game-bird perspective, the overall shooting pressure is low, especially after the
first couple of weekends. Large quantities of various ducks, plus black swan and
occasional Canada geese, are found around
the lake. The highest concentrations are found near the swamps, old river
courses and lagoons. It is possible to spend days here, and not even
see another hunter. The West Coast has a very high rainfall, around 150
inches per year here. Weather plays a major part, the variable water
levels in the lakes making for great shooting when the lake spreads out into
farm paddocks.
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| Rain and morning mist reduce
visibilty...... |
....for an unwary
Paradise duck! |
Duck
Hunting in New Zealand
More duck
hunting info may be available from the
Fish &
Game NZ
web site, see our links pages at left.
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