From the other side

Hi!

so fall is here and bow season just open.
lot of work, walk and prep bring success in any situation! Hunting is no exception.
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So new record for me in animal size and antlers

On another note, I have sent my visitor application for my trip in March 2025!
so everything getting closer and closer.
i keep reading a lot of the thread in the hunting and magazine section.

this reading bring some questions!
how does sandflies and wasps are in March?
is there other bugs to worry about in the Otago area in March?

thanks

i shoot a bow too, bt there is no "bow season", theres no seasons at all apart from waterfowl.
wasps arent a huge issue, sandflies and mosquitos can be and they can be bloody huge!
the big thing is talk a plb with you, take a gps too. decent footwear and make sure you can layer your clothes. nz is the land of 4 seasons in one day.
make sure you have water and water filtration, a case of giardia can really wreck your day

i trad hunt now after a compound, an ilf is sooo much easier for between countries with just a bow, no permits no hassles, dont ever have to tell the stuff that its in your pack, my advantage is i use takedown arrows. everything out of sight.
in nearly fifty yrs of hunting ive never worrid about giardia, sandflies can be a bit of a nuisance but not too bad, west coast its their stronghold and beech forests in otago too. with 21 posts you should be able to message forum members so if you want to reach out dont hesitate, here to help.
im here in nz from oz at moment, soon as i finish a bit of business in the north isle ill be on the ferry heading south to skewer a bull tahr,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JSV

Hi!

this reading bring some questions!
how does sandflies and wasps are in March?
is there other bugs to worry about in the Otago area in March?

thanks

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If you've spent any time in muskeg/shield with mosquitos and black flies, sandflies in NZ won't be an issue for you.
Some people get more extreme reactions to bites the first few times they're bitten, but once your body stops overreacting to them you're fine.

thanks for the replies

I was remote hunting moose last days, we did get one but far from a trophy, but freezer will be full.

We will have a InReach and GPS with us.
I also try my gears and shoes (my partner is use to multi-days trekking) few weeks ago, shoes did good and I over loaded my backpack to 57 pounds.
the 15km was a 5h walk.

Here, the mosquito appear in spring and disappear at the end of summer, so from september we're mostly free form any bugs.
do you have this kind of mosquitos season?

Sandfly season lasts 12 months until you get some altitude or are on a boat as they can't live over water

Forgot to say, if you're in the southern alps, lots of the hunting is most similar to mountain goat hunting in western Canada. It really messes with people who live in flatlands or foothill country. Do a lot of lunges as part of your workout regime, and practice pack walks uphill and downhill to build up the leg muscles. Stairmaster machines prepare you for uphill, but leave you totally unprepared for downhill, so walk up and down stairs with a pack, and do lots of lunges. Benefit to lunges is you can do them absolutely anywhere and anytime so do a lot of them.