Small Game - Possum Hunting, Rabbit Hunting, Duck Hunting
Predicting small game hunting is like predicting the weather. No-one knows exactly what the weather will do. But we do know that a day of small game hunting is always better than a day at work!
Waterfowl
Are comprised of mallard ducks (estimated 5 million) and native grey ducks (estimated 1 million), which are the most prominent birds on natural and artificial ponds, lakes, streams and marshlands. Also shovelers (known as spoonbill), paradise ducks (shelducks), black swans and Canada geese are fair game.
All these birds are distributed widely throughout the country and are hunted in season on game bird licences. Upland game birds Including pheasant, Californian quail, brown quail, chukar and partridge.
The partridge has only been liberated in recent years but is already well established. These birds are common to most regions and are also hunted in season on game bird licences.
Possums
Opossums have infested almost every bush-covered area in New Zealand and require extensive poisoning measures to control their numbers, which may exceed 100 million. Possums are hunted via spot lighting during the evening.
Rabbits
With a universal distribution they are a menace to farming. Numbers have been reduced in recent years by viral infections. Their legendary reproduction rate assures their availability as small game animals. Hares are common on rolling downland and tussock country. The two most popular breeds for meat are the New Zealand and the Californian.
These breeds are most popular because they combine white fur (preferred by processors) and good growth characteristics. New Zealand rabbits are slightly larger than the Californian, 9-13 pounds versus 8-10 pounds.
The New Zealand rabbit has a completely white, red or black body, whereas the Californian is white with colored nose, ears and feet.
After a gestation period of 20 weeks, a single kid is born. The kid is fully grown at an age of three years. It is rumored that in farming areas, male chamois will occasionally mate with goats and produce sterile hybrids, but no such event has ever been scientifically recorded.
