Fish and Game is urging avid hunters and anglers to stay home during the alert level four lockdown, disappointing hunters and disturbing deer hunting plans.
The red stag hunting season, called the roar, lasts from now until mid- to late-April. The weekends either side of Easter are the most popular for hunters. But Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Martin Taylor said hunters and anglers should stay home during alert level four just like everyone else, in case they need rescue, putting pressure on emergency services.
"The advice we have is that at alert level four anglers and hunters should not undertake activities that expose them and others to higher levels of risk. DOC huts and campsites are closed as they do not meet minimum separation requirements.
"It is heartbreaking to not be able to spend time in the outdoors, especially as for many of us this is our main way to de-stress, but we all have our part to play to beat Covid-19.
"The point of the next four weeks is to kill the virus in New Zealand so that life goes back to normal as quickly as possible. Let's stay home for four weeks then we can get outdoors and back into angling and hunting."