Cock Pheasant:

Pheasants are one of New Zealand’s most sought after game birds.  Their bright plumage and superb eating qualities make them popular with all game bird hunters. The Pheasant hunting season begins on the first Saturday of May and generally lasts until the end of August.  Pheasants are a vocal bird, particularly towards the end of the season as territorial disputes are settled. As a result they can be easily located.  They can be found in a variety of habitats but mostly in open farmland near rough scrub and hedges that provide essential escape cover.  They feed on a wide variety of berries, seeds and other vegetation. They have good hearing and sight and successful hunting requires elements of silence and surprise.  Often they will sit tight in dense vegetation and unless you have a dog it can be difficult to make them flush.  When they do flush however the sound can be electrifying so make sure you are of sturdy heart!  The best pheasant hunting occurs on bright sunny days which have the birds moving about from daybreak to mid morning and again from mid afternoon to dusk.

Chukor:

Primarily a South Island species the Chukor is at home on high, semi arid shale and rocky slopes, interspersed with areas of low tussock and scattered sub alpine vegetation.  Found at altitudes of up to 2,000 metres on slopes east of the main divide, Chukor populations extend from Marlborough to Otago.  The season begins in May and continues until the end of August.  A high level of fitness is a must to hunt these birds.

Mallard Duck:

The Mallard is the most common duck in New Zealand and the northern hemisphere.  From 1867 attempts were made to Acclimatize game farm stock, but these failed.  Then in the 1930’s eggs From San Francisco arrived and after that the mallard spread throughout the country. Today they are prolific with population of about 4.5 million mallards which can sometimes create a nuisance to crop farmers.  The mallard is the mainstay of the daily duck bag.

Grey Duck:

The native Grey duck was once the hunter’s main quarry.  However the draining of swamps and wetlands caused loss of habitat, resulting in a marked decline in their numbers.  The newly established and much more adaptable mallard helps keeps the bag limits up.  Money collected from hunting licences has helped to conserve natural wetlands form being drained and in areas where there are still large natural Wetlands the Grey duck continues to hold its own.

Californian Quail:

Quail hunting is an exciting and demanding form of Game bird hunting.  Quail are small and fast flying birds, which means quick, accurate shooting is required.  New Zealand has three species of quail with the Californian quail being the most popular.  They are found throughout New Zealand but prefer semi-arid conditions.  Coastal dunes, exotic forests, scrubby shingle river beds and hill country are preferred habitat.
They are noisy ‘talkative’ birds making them easy to identify a group or ‘covey’ however their rapid speed of flight and small size make the shooting challenging.  An undisturbed covey will sit tight on the ground or in bushes and when they are flushed by hunter or dog the birds explode quickly into the air.  Often a rapid whirring of wings and a dark shape flying quickly past are the only indication that you have flushed a covey.  Quail do not fly long distances and will quickly return to ground where they re-group and sit tight, so exciting hunting can occur in a fairly small area.

Ideal weather conditions for quail hunting are similar to that of the pheasant.  Bright, warm sunny days are the most productive as in these conditions the birds will be calling and moving about.

Paradise Duck: