Thread: Lets talk about Pukeko hunting.

I have hunted most small pests in NZ for ages and I know there are little tips and tricks for each species, lets hear them for Pooks.

To get off on the right foot.. Yes I have permits to cull Pukekos, and they are cunning little buggers so I am all ears when it comes to how other people hunt them successfully.

I am getting some success, 8 of them tonight, but I cant help but feel they are outsmarting me. I have tried shooting them at night with torches in the past and found their beautiful black feathers are pretty much akin to a black hole when it comes to absorbing light and their eyes don't really give off a shine either. I have tried trapping them with mild success but I think this will work better in colder months or when there is not so much feed around for them. The most success I am getting is afternoon/evening shooting but they seem to know where they can sit and not be shot at (neighboring properties or in front of houses etc).

The permit restrictions forbid baiting, calling or decoying.

Sometimes when one is shot the others will come to its aid which is handy, but other times they will not.

What time of day do you find best?

Is there a whistle or noise that will stop them running away (like rabbits/hares)?

Does thermal work when they are roosted or do the feathers stop the heat signature?

Pook pics welcome.

Cheers

Found it best when they dont know where you, full sniper mode, and suppressed

If you can corner them with three of you in a gulley and when in season you can have a ball with them. Best record was 30 in half an hour between three of us. That slowed em down a lot. they seemed to get confused where to fly with the eco. So sat up in the trees and easy to take with the shot gun. Also a slower flyer than ducks so easy on the wing when in season. With a good back stop Id used a 22mag which would remove the whole chest which was a lot better than a 22lr as the feathers seemed to absorb a lot of the shot and would result in runners. Not a good thing. They do make good eel bait.

Originally Posted by Sideshow

If you can corner them with three of you in a gulley and when in season you can have a ball with them. Best record was 30 in half an hour between three of us. That slowed em down a lot. they seemed to get confused where to fly with the eco. So sat up in the trees and easy to take with the shot gun. Also a slower flyer than ducks so easy on the wing when in season. With a good back stop Id used a 22mag which would remove the whole chest which was a lot better than a 22lr as the feathers seemed to absorb a lot of the shot and would result in runners. Not a good thing. They do make good eel bait.

Sound advice! Unfortunately the land im working on is mostly flat and has neighboring properties with long grass that they know they are safe in.

Originally Posted by charliehorse

Found it best when they dont know where you, full sniper mode, and suppressed

Yeh I wondered about buying a hide with a seat in it and sniping from there, tried that out a bit last night which worked but then you only cover a small part of the land.

Originally Posted by berg243

is putting out a water source like a hard plastic paddling pool considered baiting? or is there permanent water there already. have one of those portable hides but you just a bit far away to drop off too. do you have access to their main roosting area? there should be little runs / tracks they use for leaving as a lot will walk to food and possibly ambush the run with a fully suppressed 22lr.

I wouldnt think thats baiting, but on most of the properties there is a creek running around the boundaries.

I have a rough idea of where they are roosting and have been shooting them around there but I'm not sure sitting in one spot is the most effective way to go when the properties are quite large

They are cunning buggers i have them next to pond below my house, when they come up and start harrassing the chooks they are fear game, or if i see them on a killing spree on the ducklings.
After shooting one they are like magpies they all know whats its about

There must be a call they come too!
I well known there alarm call. But I guess they must have more than one call.

I found that using a caliber that lets you reach out a bit further than a 22 or a shottie really cleans them up in a hurry.
I got a suppressed 17 hornet primarily for this, and it really did the job well.

Making yourself inconspicuous and taking 150 - 200m shots leaves them wondering what happed to their mates. They come over to investigate and you end up with a pile of puks in no time at all.

Not the cheapest way to get rid of them, but the most effective I have used so far. I just had to make sure the 17 centrefire was added to the permit, which after a short chat with the Fish and Game officer was duly done.

Originally Posted by Sideshow

There must be a call they come too!
I well known there alarm call. But I guess they must have more than one call.

Yeah, but it says in the first post that the permit forbids baiting, calling and decoying.
I guess it’s so you don’t make the original problem bigger by bringing in puks from surrounding areas, and to prevent wiping out the whole population in a district

The trick is harass them often and pluck off a few at a time
The friend just use to go have a cup of tea between walking the spot where they hang out
He would get tons
If you can find someone making cloaks they will love the feathers

Can't help here but I reckon I'm the only one that has ever shot a brown pukeko.

A bit dusty lol.

never mind the puke,I want a gun that shoots the bullets in ya pic

Absolute arsehole birds, helped a mate plant a couple hundred seedlings and a mob of the frikn things by the next morning had pulled most of them out. Best thing for them is send in a dog to get them in the air and line up a few mates with semi auto 12g and unload on them.