The game-bird hunting season is just around the corner and mallard numbers in Otago are looking positive overall despite this year’s trend count being below average, Otago Fish & Game says.

For the past nine years Otago Fish & Game has conducted aerial surveys of mallards before the opening of the game-bird hunting season in the first weekend of May.

Fish & Game officer Jayde Couper said 5,130 mallards were counted on April 15 ‒ a figure surprisingly close to last year’s count of 5,100.

Mallards are counted by helicopter at ponds, rivers and overland transects, starting in the Taieri, but mostly in South Otago around the Clutha/Mata-au and Pomahaka rivers.

“The overall mallard trend across nine years is positive, although this season’s trend count was below the average of 5,700,” Jayde said. “However, when the 2022 year, which had an extremely high count, is removed from calculations, this year is just above average.”

Jayde said the positive trend count indicated that mallards in the region were being managed responsibly over the long-term.

“It’s important for duck hunters to realise trend counts aren't actually a sign of how many birds they’ll harvest each season,” he said.

“We’d like more rain and then suitably windy conditions on opening weekend, which encourages the birds to move around.”

Fish & Game surveys the same locations (46 ponds, six 10km river sections, and ten 10km overland transects) annually.

This year, the counts were affected by low water in many ponds as well as high and dirty water on the Clutha River/Mata-au due to heavy rain in the headwaters.

“Mallards which would be normally camped on the big river were instead sheltering deeper among the willows or out of sight, off the river,”Jayde said.

“This is why we analyse the overall trend and not just one year’s count. It’s not a population count of all mallards in Otago.”

Mallards appeared to be more evenly distributed this year with only 16 sites containing no ducks below the average of 19 and the highest result at 25. 

Cross-country transects were similar to previous averages, pond counts were higher than normal, and river counts were low, at around 800 mallards fewer than normal.

“While the Otago countryside is greener, April’s rainfall so far hasn’t made a huge difference to water levels in many ponds and wetlands. But heavy rainfall in headwaters did top up Otago’s big southern lakes.”

Hunting licenses are available at the Fish & Game website.

Hunters can also find a range of tips, ‘dos and don’ts’ and a range of other information for preparing for game-bird hunting season on the website.

PHOTO: Wānaka App