South Island Wallaby Hunting Approach

Hi team,

After relocating to the south island last week, I'm planning to head down to Timaru/Geraldine/Waimate area and check out some of the Doc blocks for wallabies.

I would appreciate any tips on hunting them. Is the best way to walk mile after mile and stalk them? Or just sit on any hill and glass for hours?

Looking at satellite maps it appears these blocks are very open. Is there a certain type of vegetation that wallabies prefer?

What would be the typical shooting distance in those areas? I can be a half inch shooter at 100m, but never practised further than that. Thinking of using a suppressed Tikka 223 and a Burris 2-10x40. Those drop reticles will probably help for the longer shots.

Any kind of advice would be hugely appreciated! Thanks.

Park up facing sunny faces in the mornings and evenings. In the heat of the day they will lie up in the shade. Expect to shoot out to about 300 metres and be able to shoot them in the top 1/3rd for instant results. The lower 2/3rds can soak up ammo without much effect. A good set of binos and a range finder are assets. Your scope and rifle should be perfect for the job.

Good fun bush shooting as well the likes of Kelceys and Hook out of Waimate great challenge lots about.

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Originally Posted by gundoc

Park up facing sunny faces in the mornings and evenings. In the heat of the day they will lie up in the shade. Expect to shoot out to about 300 metres and be able to shoot them in the top 1/3rd for instant results. The lower 2/3rds can soak up ammo without much effect. A good set of binos and a range finder are assets. Your scope and rifle should be perfect for the job.

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^^^
this, Plus i like to use a Bi-pod as well, Search the scrub with your Bino's as well, as they will pop out into little clearing's in the scrub.
A lot of the shots will be a lot further than what you are use to, so a day on the targets at 300m, would be beneficial for you.

As a North islander you will initally be rubbish at estimating range in a totally different environment, trust me I know from experience. Take a range finder.

Don't need big flash gear and long shots etc to shoot a few Roos. Old man does a lot of them for work and will often shoot 2-300 a night, many of them before/after darkness and all with red dot and pulsar thermal scope after dark, he wouldn't know what a ballistic reticle or a dialling turret was if you hit him over the head with one. Uses shotgun with BB shot a lot also.

Dont walk miles trying to find them, find a nice gully you with some cover they can hide and get yourself set up and wait for them to hop out from the cover in the evening. as marty said take a rangefinder distances can be very deceiving down here.

two ways to do it...with noise/dogs rolling rocks into scrub
or sit and snipe....
sit and watch bush edges,tussuck faces and wet gullies,they are funny critters and once your eyes switched on you cant help seeing them.
its amazing how they suddenly appear from nowhere if you sitting quietly.first n last light are best but we shoot them all day.
look for a two toned road cone,darker on outside,lighter in centre..that a wally facing you..and the mickey mouse ears are a dead giveaway.
use the softest ammunition you can find,vmax/zmax spsx are perfect,yes the top 1/3rd is ideal shot placement but hit them with varmit round anywhere and they will stop long enough for finishing shot...in 33 years of hunting them mostly with dogs I have NEVER found a wounded wallaby,Ive shot two with only half a tail...but never one with a flesh wound so I believe they must bleed out pretty quick no matter where hit,strange as it may seem.
when they on run,the chest/head doesnt bounce as much as it looks,shoot them on run and you will feel like superman.

Dont take a packet of 20rds for the day,take a hundy or more.

never less than 40 anyway LOL....

If you want kill them with one shot at longer distances use a 270. No shotguns or night shooting in doc blocks either ( you probably already know that though)
223 works fine for just walking the hills early and late in the day and picking of any you see.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

two ways to do it...with noise/dogs rolling rocks into scrub
or sit and snipe....
sit and watch bush edges,tussuck faces and wet gullies,they are funny critters and once your eyes switched on you cant help seeing them.
its amazing how they suddenly appear from nowhere if you sitting quietly.first n last light are best but we shoot them all day.
look for a two toned road cone,darker on outside,lighter in centre..that a wally facing you..and the mickey mouse ears are a dead giveaway.
use the softest ammunition you can find,vmax/zmax spsx are perfect,yes the top 1/3rd is ideal shot placement but hit them with varmit round anywhere and they will stop long enough for finishing shot...in 33 years of hunting them mostly with dogs I have NEVER found a wounded wallaby,Ive shot two with only half a tail...but never one with a flesh wound so I believe they must bleed out pretty quick no matter where hit,strange as it may seem.
when they on run,the chest/head doesnt bounce as much as it looks,shoot them on run and you will feel like superman.

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A two toned road cone ha'ha'ha'..very well put there mr duck,aint never heard that one,love it.
Clobbering a roo in full flight is very much like any other skill..more you do it the more natural it becomes..

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Originally Posted by Trout

Dont take a packet of 20rds for the day,take a hundy or more.

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Back on that other planet Trout we would go through box's holding three thousand rounds. They were wooden box's very much like you would buy bulk nails in. You stayed on the job if you averaged three shots per kill.that is what the board decided on.

I personally love to stomp the hills and knock over as many as I come across. If I spend a good 4-6 hours walking and knock over 5-10 I consider that a good day. Yea you will prob get more with the sit and wait approach, but that can get a bit tedious :) my 2¢

Hi guys,

Thought I should report back on how I went today.

So upon entering the block there was a tonne of droppings, fresh and everywhere. I've never seen a wallaby or wallaby droppings before but suspect that's what they are. Some even had steam coming off.

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Sat on a hill face near a gully with some scrub, and glassed for 30 minutes, but no animals were sighted.

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On my way back to the car stags roars were heard constantly, pretty certain they were within the block too.

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Cheers for all the advice. Go further, have more patience, and wake up earlier next time!

by those photos you were in good place....just have to be more patient...and yes get up earlier or stay till dark. there are higher numbers around now than any time in last 30 years. surprised you didnt see at least one.

You were in the right area you just need to be out either earlier or later

Ceech, I'm amazed no one has yet said you can identify wallaby droppings by feel, smell and taste.