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Hi all :)
Next month I am planning to spend some time wandering around the DOC open hunting area at Mangatawhiri/Hunua. I sorted an online permit but was wondering what is the most straight-forward way of getting to the actual "green" hunting block?
Appreciate any pointers
Tracy
PM me Tracy
Hey guys just came across this thread.. I've been wanting to get in to the hunua's for some time now. Just wondering where would be the best access point too the hunting block, and if there's any safe places to park etc..
Thanks in advance
Thomas
yea i have been looking in to that block as well wouldnt mind having a look my self
Have a play with this Maps and geospatial services: About DOC
And have a play with this Walking Access Mapping System
It gets pretty thick in there in places.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dynastar27
Nothing OPCz cant handleQuote:
Originally Posted by Rushy
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dam straight man OPCz were a hard bunch :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by phillipgr
Doing a recce in a couple of weeks. Will post on here how I get on. Best access is from Lyons Rd end. It's as safe to park there as anywhere else in the country. Mainly pigs in here guys, but am determined to verify whether deer sign exists at all in this block. I've heard nothing but "wasting your time and effort" comments from other locals I know. Plenty of fallow out Waiuku/Awhitu/Port Waikato ways though. Just access being the issue there too.
Yeah iv heard the same! I was working with an older guy a couple if months ago who reckons while out shooting bunnies out waiuku way managed to shoot him Self a wild fellow, but that of course was on private land.. Do you know know if there's any public land/blocks out port Waikato? By any chance?
No. I even asked the guys at the Drury NZDA when I was thinking of joining... They knew all about it, but were so cagey and secretive I actually wondered of they were poaching. Not a very friendly bunch of guys so I didn't join.
There have always been fallow running wild up the Awhitu peninsula, so best plan is to dress sensibly, have a shave and go for a drive to door knock farmers in likely looking areas. I don't have the patience for that personally :) DoC land in the central north is a sure thing so I prefer to drive down there
Yeah I wouldn't waste my time and money on gas driving around there just to be turned down! Being a young half cast Maori definitely wouldn't help my chances of gaining private access either haha.. Much easier to drive the extra 2hrs or so down the line like you say it's a sure thing!.
Thomas have a look at that DOC web site I put a link up to, on the left-hand sidebar scroll down until you find open permit hunting areas, go to an area that you like the look of and click the box on and off, it will highlight all the open hunting public land , it also has free camping areas, Doc campgrounds and plenty more
Also door knocking is like fishing, if you don't put a bait out you will never hook up, and also liken it to a numbers game, the more people you hit up the more of a chance you will get a yes
Hunuas , yes there are some Reds floating about, id say thou it would be like looking for that needle in a hay stack, a guy I brought rams off had one run through his farm one day, another bloke I know sees the odd one on his boundary and I also know of some cullers that had a hell of a job tracking one down they fenced into a covenanted area
I've lived in the area for the past six years and have never bothered to go for a walk into Mangatawhiri Forest because all the locals I ask say "you'd be very lucky to see one in there, but an escapee from Maramarua or Clevedon sometimes wanders through." I've heard more stories from good sources saying there are deer seen and shot on local farms, but not one of these farms has actually been on the boundary of Hunua Ranges nor the Open Hunting Area of Mangatawhiri Forest.
I'll go for a wander next weekend and see what I can find but not holding my breath. If I find there is actually a reasonable resource here, I'll post honestly on this thread for forum members to exploit :)
By the way, I've hunted and seen pigs in the Hunuas, but absolutely no deer sign between Hunua, Paparimu and Kaiaua.
@thomas yes, plenty of pigs. Very wary and know how to outwit and outrun dogs as they get hammered all year round. Basically, they never stop to fight in a bail, they just bolt and don't stop until the dogs give up chase. So you'll need fast and hard hold dogs if you want to be successful. As for goats, I haven't seen any, but my wife has on one walk a couple of years ago. The Council employ cullers to go thru on seek and destroy missions each year, so numbers in the Hunua/Paparimu area at least are very low. I've never encountered them on the Kaiaua side either. If they're in the OHA in any numbers, I'll be surprised.
Yeah iv seen the odd goat up around some of the the main reservoirs but that's about it never actually been in to the hunting Block there! as for catching those cunning pigs I don't have dogs so guess that rules me out haha
Ok report on Mangatawhiri Forest recce mission today. I arrived walked up the DoC track for about 1km before leaving the track and heading up a spur toward the first main ridge. About half way up I spotted a young Totara which had been beaten up by either a young Red or Pricket Fallow. Surprising and encouraging so I kept at a fast tramp up to the top about 280m ASL, and counted about eight more trees similarly beaten up, like this. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/09/mu7yquge.jpg
All the notches and bark damage was very low to the ground, which I haven't encountered before while hunting Reds and Sika. So I can only predict that this was one small spiker making his way down the leading ridge, looking for somewhere to call home.
I only found two piles of very old deer pellets and absolutely no hoof prints, after spending 6hours medium paced tramping and covering about 6kms of country, walking back down Mangatawhiri River to the car park.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/09/eba7yjaq.jpg
So, while I'm glad I've done it, I think the opportunity for success is pretty futile and time is much better served driving the two hours down to Kaimais where at least we know there are deer in numbers and there's always plenty of fresh sign to keep me keen.
If any of you guys have a go I'd be keen to hear how you get on.
Cheers.
Bookmarked....big thanks MoonhuntQuote:
Originally Posted by moonhunt
Good on you for posting an honest report
sweet
we went down to do some work out our pond well dry pond and there were pig tracks in the soft mud
so might have to go and have a look down there at some point
Always honest Moonhunt :)
DOC has just been given the green light to dump 1080 in the Hunua Ranges next year. This should be of concern to Aucklanders as that is where the water supply comes from.
They did that round 15 years ago when I was in Hunua, choppers flying for a week or so. There was hardly any publicity accept the usual landowner notifications and signs going up. Cant remember any reports of dead Aucklanders though. The place was closed for months and boy did the birds come back 18 months afterwards.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dundee
The ranger at cosseys at the time didn't reckon the pig numbers dropped at all in fact went up cause of no hunting pressure.
Goats were reasonably plentiful then but I never saw a deer. I used to go in at the end of Matheson road, and hunt the mangatawhiri river area quite an easy walk in but through private property probably not on now.
Forgot to add sometimes walked out to the end of Lyons road, got to know the winemaker at hotel du vin and spent some entertaining evenings there shooting rabbits and grape gobbling little birdies, developed a bit of a taste for wine there as well as you do. Wonder if it's still going?
I went for a walk up from end of lyons road a few months back and there were goat skins hanging on a fence up there (maybe 6 or 7) walked round for a few hours so only find goat prints no sign of pig or deer, when arrivng back to car a few young guys came down on quad with bow in hand and they said plenty goats up there if you know where to look, so they are up there just have to put in some yards. As for deer i have a mate who lives a km or so north of lyons road and property backs on to bush and there are alot of deer up there. They tend to know where they are safe around there, switched on
"A lot of deer up there"... I'd like to see proof of that. If you're referring to the bush block off Paparata Road, then yes, I hear the same. I also hear the private land owners don't let anyone in there and are trying to crack down hard on poachers since some monkey started a bush fire about a year ago.
Same story goes for Winstone Quarry... We hear there are deer in there, but no one is given permission to hunt. If anyone finds private access to hunt anywhere in the Papakura-Hunua area and actually manages to find a deer and shoot it, then bloody good on ya. I'd rather spend my time hunting where I know there are indeed plentiful animals, like the Kaimais, Rotorua Lakes, Whirinaki/Te Urewera, Kaimanawas, Pureora etc.
heading down to the hunuas this weekend to have a look at a private block on the kaiawa side
The Lyons rd winery is now the rural campus for Dilworth boys school. I know cos we had a look at it earlier this year. No grapes now
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Confirmed. My grandson spent his first year at Dilworth down there.Quote:
Originally Posted by tiroatedson
Hi Hunt4life,the area we discussed a while ago still have a couple of animals ,mostly hinds/fawn.Quarry is where the stags hide,cheers
Yeh, thanks Hein. That little spot we talked about is yours as far as I'm concerned mate, and your secret is safe with me. As for the quarry, anyone who can either get permission or who chooses to risk their future hunting career by poaching behind the quarry, good luck to ya :)Quote:
Originally Posted by heinnz
No animal has a name on it,,feel free to visit your old friend,rather one of us getting a animal than a poacher,cheers
The track at the end of Lyons road goes to the edge of Doc's land but on the right side which is all bush is private Land. We have been finding poachers on it, we have been giving them warnings but now we have installed a few camera's and if we catch any poachers well let just say no more hunting for them. We believe we know who they are just got to get them on camera.
Many years ago when I was camping there someone to a shoot at me missed by a few meters, never knew who fired the shoot.
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Originally Posted by Yeti
