Out on the west coast of 
Northland, along Ripiro Beach 
which is the longest driveable 
beach in Godzone.  The dry sandy 
dunes border farmland with fresh 
grass and clover with high cliffs and 
flax that pheasant love hiding in 
when danger presents.  When the 
sun comes out, the birds fly down 
from these cliffs and into the long 
tussock covered dunes where they 
feed on lupin seeds and insects.  
There are a lot of big crickets and 
locusts living in these dry sandy 
conditions which attract pheasants.
Another key factor that helps when 
you are walking in winter along the 
dunes, is the roar from the rough 
Tasman helps to conceal the noise of 
your approach and the dog working 
hard on their trail.  The dry sandy 
conditions also mean the bird’s 
scent keeps longer for the dog to 
find and track through the dunes.
Often when hunting here on wet 
and windy days, I have had birds hold 
very tight and get up right at my feet 
which sure makes for heart racing 
shooting, and it is hard to beat.  Also, 
the colour of the bird’s plumage is 
amazingly vivid and they are very 
bright in colour and must be due to 
the food they are living on that is 
found in the sand dunes, whereas 
birds I have shot just up the road 
(less than 10km away) on farmland 
have darker hues and the feathers 
aren’t as vibrant as the coastal birds.
"Pheasant prefer dry 
habitats such as gullies 
with plenty of scrub for 
cover and insects, fresh 
clover, or berries for food."
This ring-necked pheasant, the most 
common species found in Godzone, 
was shot on farmland hiding in gorse 
when flushed by Ruby the gun dog.
The Japanese green pheasant 
was released in New Zealand 
but is much rarer than 
the common ring-necked 
pheasant with cross breeding 
resulting in a dark green 
tinted bird (black-neck).
Feature
68  FISHING IN GODZONE MAGAZINE

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