Paparoa range from Punakaiki?

Kings bday weekend coming up and my partner wants to head to Punakaiki with a few mates, while I want to go hunting. Tossing up a compromise where I join them but do a wee overnighter inland from Punakaiki in Paparoa Range etc. Is anyone able to shed some light on hunting in this area? e.g. animal numbers, number of chamois around, approx. hours walk in for decent shot at a chammy or red.

I haven't done much west coast hunting or bush stalking etc. Majority of my hunting on tops in Canterbury. Looks like a fair whack of a walk to hit some open country up near Mt Bovis, might be a bit much for an overnighter? (~1000m vert).

Just wanting some general knowledge so I don't go over there and bushstalk empty areas for 2 days. Alternative is to stay east and do a nice overnighter closer to home...
Feel free to pm

TIA

If you like goat you'll be in with a grin!

Hey man, I’m gonna assume you were looking at heading into Bovis from Bullock creek? The right answer is yes ;)

So that road used to go all the way up to an old farm that had been returned to DOC custodianship. Was great but they have since put a locked gate on the track and planted the farm out in natives.
Head up there, vehicle dependent you can drive around the gate through the creek(it rises very rapidly though).

First thing in morning stick to the very left of clearings, deer all through there on the right of clearings, seen some nice fallow there a few years ago. (Used to be known as my meat locker when I lived at punakaiki).

Can’t help with Bovis sorry.

Hunter that area hard as a teenager
Chamios up top
Deer below
Never Fallow there then... Must have come up and over from the Rough eh?
Goats for Africa
Don't fall in a hole... They go all the way to the Coast some of them

Yea the Rough River herd head over sometimes. Funnily enough I never saw a Goat there. Normally could get them on the side of road at Barrytown.

Chamois in the Paps? Really? Never used to be. Odd one would be let go and usually DOC would find out and send in the shooters to get them.
Many years ago there was apparently Fallow in the ranges between the Moonlight and Garden gully on the Blackball side but not now and not really upbthe Moonlight anymore. Start seeing them in the Cragieburn forest just up from the Pike before the Rough so could be some up there.
And yup lots of goats from the sound of it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RakaiaHunter

Yea the Rough River herd head over sometimes. Funnily enough I never saw a Goat there. Normally could get them on the side of road at Barrytown.

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Was in the region couple weeks ago. Goats aplenty.
Seen them roadside all over north of there too.
Several nannies following a Billy across the road in ngakawau, and farmers asking me to take them away by the trailer load.
Had some lovely nanny goat pie too.

Epic thanks for that guys, will toss up my options. A few goats might actually be quite fun for a change. Cheers