Thread: Ruahine hunting

Tops hunting isn't going to be as productive as it might have been November through February. There may be the odd animal out post-roar, but even the tops vegetation will be well past new growth by now. Deer will tend to be back feeding within the bush. The lure of course feed on the slips will bring a few out May-early June, but most will feed the slips only as they pass through during daylight hours, not as destinations in and of themselves. If you want to stretch out the 7mm then in my opinion you'd be best off find a spot where you can watch multiple clear faces below the bushline from a chosen lookout and try and catch one out. This is where local knowledge comes in, and the benefits of revisiting the same area to find these spots. Google Earth might give you some clues. The Mokai Patea range is your closest entry point for tops hunting I think.
That said, numbers are good these days in the Ruahines. There's always a chance of bumping into the odd one anywhere in your travels and proving me wrong.
Personally I hunt from just the one roadend on the eastern side. A longer drive for you if you want to come over, and you'd better like Leatherwood!