Thread: Bettison Stream Tahr Hunt

We are thinking of flying into either Prospectors Creek or Bettison Stream (near the Scone),(Whataroa) next May for a Tahr hunt. Have been to neither spot before but hoping to go to an area where they could be some Bulls lower down living in the Scrub and Bettison Stream looks like such a place.
Wondering if anyone has been there and what they thought of it in terms of access to the animals etc.
Also are there any Chamois around those areas or are they too far in?


Cheers

I’ve been into the Bettison once about 10 years ago, saw a few animals but nothing huge, no chamois seen, the scrub down by the gorge is certainly worth targeting.

I would strongly advise flying in and flying out unlike us as we flew in and walked out… the walk alone to the Scone Hut took 11 hrs!!!

Originally Posted by Seventenths

I’ve been into the Bettison once about 10 years ago, saw a few animals but nothing huge, no chamois seen, the scrub down by the gorge is certainly worth targeting.

I would strongly advise flying in and flying out unlike us as we flew in and walked out… the walk alone to the Scone Hut took 11 hrs!!!

Climbing upstream is worse, think the only way in high on the true right

Yeah, we walked down from the Bettison camp site on the true right, under the bluffs through the scrub climbing up onto the boulder field and then down the track to the hut… from memory it was 4.2 km as the bird flew from campsite to hut but dam it took 11 hours.

As we walked through that massive boulder field on the ridge my mate dislodged a table sized rock that came down towards him, if he hadn’t of moved as fast as he did it would have crushed his leg and he’d be an amputee for sure, there was no way I could have moved that rock.

Walking in from the hut would be even tougher!

My mate and I have never forgotten that trip.

Thanks for your reply, It doesn't sound that great of a place anyway.

Walked in from Scone Hut about 20yrs ago and fly camped. It was chocka full of Thar when many places back then had bugger all. Got a couple of bulls and a chamois. It was bloody hard to find the track down heading out but no GPS etc back then.

Scone basin is easier, plenty of animals but less scope if going for a while. Chopper can drop your main gear at the hut and fly you into the Bettison and then you walk back to hut after a few days and could then do another mission into scone basin. You will need some good fitness. That’s the way I’d do it after doing the reverse and starting at Scone basin.

A group of us did four 2 week missions into Scone Hut as a base. These were in the late 60's and early 70's and all were walk in.

It was an interesting time as far as wildlife was concerned
- plenty of whio and keas, probably not exaggerating to say 100s.
- no rats or possums
- no deer, although we shot one stag at the confluence with the Barlow that came to see what we were, even after a couple of shots by one of the party that all missed. We also got a hind down by Nolans Hut which was still private at that time
- plenty of tahr on the ridge behind the hut, accessible via the first creek down river; we never got any trophy bulls of the standard we see today, but there sure were 100's if not 1000's of them up there, fire a shot and the whole hillside stood up and scarpered
- chamois not so plentiful but we all managed to 1 or 2, more of them in Scone Basin

We blazed the route from across Scone Creek up to the boulder field mentioned by Seventenths. Used that route to explore the Bettison and Prospectors; never attempted to get into the Bettison - that place just looked too scary. Not so many animals up that area at that time.

I have always meant to do a chopper flight back in there to see what it looks like these days, I am past being to climb around there, but it would be great to do a fly over.

Originally Posted by steveg

A group of us did four 2 week missions into Scone Hut as a base. These were in the late 60's and early 70's and all were walk in.

It was an interesting time as far as wildlife was concerned
- plenty of whio and keas, probably not exaggerating to say 100s.
- no rats or possums
- no deer, although we shot one stag at the confluence with the Barlow that came to see what we were, even after a couple of shots by one of the party that all missed. We also got a hind down by Nolans Hut which was still private at that time
- plenty of tahr on the ridge behind the hut, accessible via the first creek down river; we never got any trophy bulls of the standard we see today, but there sure were 100's if not 1000's of them up there, fire a shot and the whole hillside stood up and scarpered
- chamois not so plentiful but we all managed to 1 or 2, more of them in Scone Basin

We blazed the route from across Scone Creek up to the boulder field mentioned by Seventenths. Used that route to explore the Bettison and Prospectors; never attempted to get into the Bettison - that place just looked too scary. Not so many animals up that area at that time.

I have always meant to do a chopper flight back in there to see what it looks like these days, I am past being to climb around there, but it would be great to do a fly over.

For sure ...100's plus aways back,big mobs were the flavour of the day lol.. steveg.
Mobs of 150 plus were very common in many catchments through out ..twas nothing to see five or more massive bulls trying ti keep
a mob of 30-50 Nannies happy lol.
Those days are gone now and tidays Thar hunters can only imagine what it may have been yrs ago eh.
My diary tells me of a mob of 180 plus we counted in just one basin in the Ohau district mid to late 60's and there were more down in
the scrub line we missed. The gear they use nowadays to so call cull is devastating in the high stands of hebe..thick alpine scrub etc ..and no way can they place their shots inhumanely when shooting at glowing targets. Thats the way it is now I believe..there's no way i'll be convinced otherwise lol.