Thread: anyone get wanaka ballot?

any one on here go in for the Wanaka ballot this year? its a interesting one... no one really talks about them ay. not these days anyway.

keen to hear if anyone got in an got lucky in the favoured big game section of nz.

did those heli cunts stay out prior to the roar???? probs not.

Helicopters were working before the roar over in haast so would assume would’ve done the wanaka blocks too. Found some fresh buck shot and a few gut bags in the Te naihi,

Originally Posted by High Country Boy

Helicopters were working before the roar over in haast so would assume would’ve done the wanaka blocks too. Found some fresh buck shot and a few gut bags in the Te naihi,

I really think alot of that country should be closed to WARO.

Probably depends what circles you talk hunting in. There are a lot of hunters who hunt these areas regularly but don't talk on social media or forums.
WARO's Closed through the roar ballot period only. And there's been no proper WARO ops for the last 18 months, at least compared to past years. Bit of a run through here and there by local operators but not serious pressure.
Wanaka and Haast blocks are always very popular and blocks are mostly full - most permits will be used.
I know plenty of hunters including ourselves that hunted both areas this roar, and saw HEAPs of deer. There is no shortage.
Some stunning animals coming out of the hills this year - I've seen some amazing footage and photos, and a lot of younger stags who got the chance to live through last roar, and will hopefully get another this year.
The next couple of years roar periods are going to be good.

Originally Posted by JoshC

Probably depends what circles you talk hunting in. There are a lot of hunters who hunt these areas regularly but don't talk on social media or forums.
WARO's Closed through the roar ballot period only. And there's been no proper WARO ops for the last 18 months, at least compared to past years. Bit of a run through here and there by local operators but not serious pressure.
Wanaka and Haast blocks are always very popular and blocks are mostly full - most permits will be used.
I know plenty of hunters including ourselves that hunted both areas this roar, and saw HEAPs of deer. There is no shortage.
Some stunning animals coming out of the hills this year - I've seen some amazing footage and photos, and a lot of younger stags who got the chance to live through last roar, and will hopefully get another this year.
The next couple of years roar periods are going to be good.

Have seen 3 pretty nice stags come from not far from Hawea over the last 3 months. And have been in a number of the blocks outside of the roar and seen pretty good numbers. Typically the more cover the more deer I have found.

The WARO can definitely do a number on populations in some of the more open stuff. Last time we went in Mill creek we didn't see or hear a deer for 10 Days hunting. With 5 of us we covered most of the block and a mate had a handheld thermal and even at in the few hours before and after dark he never saw any deer. Heaps of Cham about more than I've ever seen with one mob of 16 nannies and kids and a good number of solo bucks running around. I'm fairness though it was period 4 and a few days after so could have been the previous 3 parties but I doubt it. The blocks pretty damn close to aspiring helicopter base but to not see a single deer was a shock to be honest.

Originally Posted by JoshC

Probably depends what circles you talk hunting in. There are a lot of hunters who hunt these areas regularly but don't talk on social media or forums.
WARO's Closed through the roar ballot period only. And there's been no proper WARO ops for the last 18 months, at least compared to past years. Bit of a run through here and there by local operators but not serious pressure.
Wanaka and Haast blocks are always very popular and blocks are mostly full - most permits will be used.
I know plenty of hunters including ourselves that hunted both areas this roar, and saw HEAPs of deer. There is no shortage.
Some stunning animals coming out of the hills this year - I've seen some amazing footage and photos, and a lot of younger stags who got the chance to live through last roar, and will hopefully get another this year.
The next couple of years roar periods are going to be good.

Any chance you can grace us with a little trip report please

Originally Posted by High Country Boy

Helicopters were working before the roar over in haast so would assume would’ve done the wanaka blocks too. Found some fresh buck shot and a few gut bags in the Te naihi,

Alpine helicopters have been going flat out all over Otago/south westland before the roar trying to fill an order of 10000 wild deer.
Have heard they have been through all the valleys in south westland with evidence of piles of gut bags on the river flats.
They have removed 300 deer of a couple stations and the Doc land on the kakanui mountains and have approached the other run holders to clean up the deer of the kakanui mountains.
The deer numbers have certainly built up and certainly need controlled but in this open type of country there is no escape from the helicopter and could easily wipe out the deer as has happened back in the late 1970's.

Originally Posted by yogi

Alpine helicopters have been going flat out all over Otago/south westland before the roar trying to fill an order of 10000 wild deer.
Have heard they have been through all the valleys in south westland with evidence of piles of gut bags on the river flats.
They have removed 300 deer of a couple stations and the Doc land on the kakanui mountains and have approached the other run holders to clean up the deer of the kakanui mountains.
The deer numbers have certainly built up and certainly need controlled but in this open type of country there is no escape from the helicopter and could easily wipe out the deer as has happened back in the late 1970's.

Yea had heard a bit about that before we went in. We only found our evidence on the last afternoon of the trip. But to be fair we’d already seen plenty of deer so wasn’t too much of a concern

At least in south Westland there is a lot of cover for the deer to escape to from the choppers.
During the roar the hunters are primarily after a stag which will leave the hind population relatively untouched from recreational hunters leading to a build up in population.
Not sure if these valleys would see to many hunters through the winter but the spring would be perfect over there.

spose the helis only target the heaviest Stags, so sounds about right stilll deer about.

those cockheads in the choppes would not pick a doe or three from a ballot spot... huge disliker

Originally Posted by Rees

spose the helis only target the heaviest Stags, so sounds about right stilll deer about.

those cockheads in the choppes would not pick a doe or three from a ballot spot... huge disliker

Yea and it was pretty evident that when we were in there. Saw 4 mature stags and probably about 10 spikers, and on two occasions saw spikers holding hinds. Definitely were more stags about but there was a clear affect of stags getting shot out