Keen game bird hunters in Otago will need to be organised earlier than usual this season, with the Easter break throwing out the usual calendar.

Mark-up day, when licence holders secure their preferred maimai sites ahead of season opening, is a week earlier.

Otago Fish and Game said it was important hunters were aware of the shift and planned for it.

“Mark-up day is a key date on the calendar for many of our game bird hunters,” Otago Fish and Game communications officer Bruce Quirey said.

“With Easter falling early, the date has shifted forward, so we’re urging everyone to check their diaries and make sure they don’t miss out.”

Hunters who had a maimai site last season can reclaim it anytime before 10am on Sunday, March 29 by purchasing their 2026 licence and attaching the claim tag.

But, after that, any maimai untagged is fair game, open to other licence holders.

Licences for the season go on sale from today (Thursday March 12), and Otago Fish and Game is encouraging hunters to get in early to secure their preferred spot.

“Don’t leave it to the last minute,” Bruce said.

“Buy your licence as soon as they’re available, get your claim tag sorted, and stake your claim before someone else does.”

Otago Fish and Game said mark-up rules apply equally to private and public land.

However, landowner permission is still required to hunt on any land, and without that permission, the mark-up rules are irrelevant.

On public land, a marked-up maimai must be occupied by the tag holder before 7.30am on any day during the season.

After that time, if it remains unoccupied, it becomes available to any other licensed hunter for the rest of the day.

Hunters must also observe the 90-metre rule between maimai sites unless agreement is reached between parties.

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