In addition to four duck species (mallards, grey ducks, paradise shelducks and Australasian shovelers), hunters also target black swans and pūkeko. Ducks may only be shot in flight. Duck shooting season dates and bag limits for Mallards and Paradise Shelduck in each region throughout the South Island and North Island of New Zealand. A duck hunter’s paradise For much of the 1800s and early 1900s, New Zealand was a duck hunter’s paradise. Putangitangi, the paradise shelduck There have been a pair of paradise duck coming here for the last few years to sit out the duck shooting season but now it seems the duck shooters have caught up with the female for there is just one paradise duck in the front paddock this morning, the black one, the drake.