Insider knowledge request - Oronui Hut, Raukumara

Hi Team,

Hoping to lean on some of you that might have been in the area to increase my chances of success. Heading into Oronui hut for a hunt for a few days over the roar. I had a look at the spot X book and it seems to suggest some clearing up the north east rivers and further down the south west.

I'm not sure if there is much of hunter trails to follow along or whether to focus lower down or higher up this time of year? Feel free to reply here or flick me a dm if you want to keep the info a bit more contained.

Any information would be appreciated. Hopefully I can get a good trip report produced from it :-)

Cheers,

It is huge very steep country - some of the highest ridges have leatherwood on top not clearings - the area may well have received Wild Animal Control aerial and ground as it is part of an area that has been placed under intensive control by local IWI as a restoration project - so numbers may not be what you think - certainly your deer will be high up as is normal in that country for the roar -- the stags push the hinds high up - so be prepared to climb and keep climbing-- but has produced heads

Thanks Barry, my lack of experience\ knowledge showing, but with Leatherwood, is this quite thick, so make stalking difficult or more open spaced or some other relevance?

Just had a google and it looks scrubby...

total crap to get thru -- need scrub bar or a D6 Dozer - you likely wont need to get that high - pick a ridge and start climbing - be up on top or near top by 1-2 pm work with the wind - a much better idea is to fly camp with minimal gear high up so you can be onto your stag early morning or evening - will need water - if its warm may only roar early and late during the day and lol all bloody night

Just came out from Mangatutara. Deer numbers knocked by 1080 a year ago, and cullers (ground and choppers) been hammering the remainder. There are ground based cullers in the area now. The grass around the place is high everywhere. More pigs than deer. Managed a spiker, but low numbers. I chopper flew into Oronui while I was there.

thanks Lentil thats pretty much what I had heard so Quintin if you were going to fly in from Opotiki then why not the upper Waioeka good animal numbers in many areas some huts to use as its not part of Te Urewera ( well most of it ) you would get a better roar heads well maybe

@Barry the hunter i wouldn't waste my money flying into these hut. This area has now become over populated with people even more so since the burning off the Te Urewera huts.
My mate was walking out of the Tawa 6 weeks ago he come across 7 different parties going in to stay at the hut mid day come in from over the burn. One party was going up to next hut the rest were hoping for a bed at the tawa and like he said let alone what parties where walking up from the forks.
you might us well walk in and take a tent

bugger never was that popular - I wonder if one flew into the very upper end say right up the Makakoere where the old bivy used to be

"Sam the Trapman" has been promoting the area in articles, his book, and youtube videos. His group have traps all the way to Forks hut.
I went in there one roar, and saw 10 people by the time I hit the top of the Burn.

Thanks for the info lads.

I think the attraction with Oronui was to go fly in to a place where it's a lot harder\ unlikely for people to go by foot, so Oronui fit the bill.

I had a chat to DoC about it as well (they were really helpful). Their ground based hunters are in a block south of Oronui atm and their aerial operations have ceased for the period to not disturb recreational hunters.

I've debated it a lot over the last couple of days, but I've decided to push ahead any give it a go anyway. I've got seven days in there and a big part of this will be about relaxing\ having a break from work, so if I can manage one animal I'd still be pretty happy.

I will throw in a trip report once I'm back.

Re Sam the Trap man, yeah saw his video recently, I've been planning my trip a year long, so was cool to see so many animals, until I heard about the culling operations taking place. It's not always fun to have a spot crowded.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Quintin

Thanks for the info lads.

I think the attraction with Oronui was to go fly in to a place where it's a lot harder\ unlikely for people to go by foot, so Oronui fit the bill.

I had a chat to DoC about it as well (they were really helpful). Their ground based hunters are in a block south of Oronui atm and their aerial operations have ceased for the period to not disturb recreational hunters.

I've debated it a lot over the last couple of days, but I've decided to push ahead any give it a go anyway. I've got seven days in there and a big part of this will be about relaxing\ having a break from work, so if I can manage one animal I'd still be pretty happy.

I will throw in a trip report once I'm back.

Re Sam the Trap man, yeah saw his video recently, I've been planning my trip a year long, so was cool to see so many animals, until I heard about the culling operations taking place. It's not always fun to have a spot crowded.

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Looking forward to the report mate, and enjoy the time out from work. Hope you’re fortunate with the week!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Quintin

Thanks for the info lads.

I think the attraction with Oronui was to go fly in to a place where it's a lot harder\ unlikely for people to go by foot, so Oronui fit the bill.

I had a chat to DoC about it as well (they were really helpful). Their ground based hunters are in a block south of Oronui atm and their aerial operations have ceased for the period to not disturb recreational hunters.

I've debated it a lot over the last couple of days, but I've decided to push ahead any give it a go anyway. I've got seven days in there and a big part of this will be about relaxing\ having a break from work, so if I can manage one animal I'd still be pretty happy.

I will throw in a trip report once I'm back.

Re Sam the Trap man, yeah saw his video recently, I've been planning my trip a year long, so was cool to see so many animals, until I heard about the culling operations taking place. It's not always fun to have a spot crowded.

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okay be prepred to climb and camp out for nights head towards MT Hikurangi - just wandering the creeks good luck you need to find areas that have not seen hunters