Thread: Spot X Book 4th edition-- out of touch?

Hey guys just out of curiosity i picked up a Spot X book, mostly for the areas than pin pointing the game.
however im wondering how out of touch this might be in the modern day?

as in areas they may say are high with Red Deer or 'have' Red deer in them however in recent times there seems to be report of a Lack of game / sign in those areas?


likely due to numerous reasons an one being poison i assume, since then im sure a bit has been thrown around and been quiet effective on the deers?


areas like around Makarora Wilkins, Young , Lake Wanaka to the West/matukituki Down to Queenstown in Aspiring park the Dart, Rees etc., Lake Hawea the Dingle/ Timaru areas ,
is this Red Country these days or minimal?

Thanks

@Rees how did you find the spot x book in general for the south island? for finding locations etc. thinking about buying one myself
I would say you would still need to check with local doc office for the latest updates with 1080 and waro or even talk to the local sports retailers for general info.

I think it’s better to go out and look for sign in areas you think may hold deer than rely on a book. The sign will let you know if there are any animals in that area. Don’t write the area off if you don’t see any fresh sign, check back at different times of the year as the animals can move around a bit with tha seasons.

What i can work out @Rees brought the book to find spots he can hunt while he is in the south island. The same reason i am considering buying the book just to give me a general idea off terrain etc and what area different species are found. Hard when you have never been to the south island before just to pick spot when it might be a one off trip

Originally Posted by bigbear

What i can work out @Rees brought the book to find spots he can hunt while he is in the south island. The same reason i am considering buying the book just to give me a general idea off terrain etc and what area different species are found. Hard when you have never been to the south island before just to pick spot when it might be a one off trip

Gday-
Yeah basically it gives a slight insight to the whole of NZ- north and south- Not in every Valley but a handful of areas in each region? perhaps- otago, canterbury, fiordland, etc etc, in each of those regions it might just give you up to 10 "X" locations- Mentioning what Species may be found- breif info on how Far away the Hut is from the Access- what/where the access is-

What i will do is Take a photo of One page to show what the gist is with it and post up in 20 mins...

so this is the Gist- You will see in the 3rd photo, there is Alot of Country between the X's or how do i put it, its more for a visitor i guess- but throughout the whole two islands there is a bit few -and-far so to speak? if that makes sense.
EG you might be interested in an Area close by to that mentioned- it might be a full Valley or two over though but close on the map, yet there is min info on it.
what info there is is Like Below.... an thats pretty cool info.. in my opinion.

This is what it shows of Otago region--


Sort info on area X'd


This is the page per say- EX you may be interested in the Arawatah River- yet it gives info in the other Areas- No REAL issue unless you were wanting a short detail info on the Arawatah river ha ha

The books worth while as a starting point. But have to get out there and put the foot work in to build a detailed picture of where animals are etc... As mentioned time of year also plays a big part on where feed is, shade, warmth, shelter etc... and hence where animals will be found. By in large where there have been animals 50/60 years ago, in 50/60 years they'll still be there and theres a reason for it. Soil composition, land topography, shelter from prevailing winds, south facing in summer, north in winter, access to water, those things don't change all that much. Bush density/openness cycles to some degree which will affect animal habits and movement somewhat too and poison, WARO. But good areas will always hold animals so long as there out there.

That book was out of date the day after it was printed.

Is that the edition that has chamois in the Pureoras?

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...8-df287b14aa43

Go onto the DoC website, under Hunting - Places to go hunting, then select region and go from there. Gives species available, applicable map, huts, access, restrictions as far as ballot blocks, dogs etc and usually a notice for poison if there's any that's been applied lately. Does the whole country not selected areas you'll find in those books. Plenty of animals around and if you've found somewhere that suits, you can ring the local DoC office and enquire about animal numbers if you're worried about not finding anything.

Yeah I’m not too sure on the spot x book, the deer definately move around a lot. In my experience I have had a lot of fun going into new areas and having a good poke around. Then spending multiple hours on Topo maps and also google satellite view trying to locate where they may be feeding, sheltering and sleeping. The guys at work look at me weird whenever they snap me zooming around the Ruahines and Tararuas on the work computers haha.

Originally Posted by Snowgrass

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...8-df287b14aa43

Go onto the DoC website, under Hunting - Places to go hunting, then select region and go from there. Gives species available, applicable map, huts, access, restrictions as far as ballot blocks, dogs etc and usually a notice for poison if there's any that's been applied lately. Does the whole country not selected areas you'll find in those books. Plenty of animals around and if you've found somewhere that suits, you can ring the local DoC office and enquire about animal numbers if you're worried about not finding anything.

Thanks mate- i do quite a bit of this when i can! its been fairly helpful, i guess next step would be goin into the doc office an chatting to some in the know!
iv got to do this in regards to the roar ballot restrictions also!!

yeah i hear what ya sayin about more info on doc site as opposed to the few highlighted options in the book- certainly gives one a place to start-

as the bloke Above i do enjoy goin into places just for a look an to seek what i can while in there, i guess being new to the whole nz thing that im worried that the poison drops an heli hunting has decimated areas since the books been done or in recent times-
looking forward to februarys missions though- got myself non stop sussing the google maps out on chosen valley system!
thanks for replies