Upper Caples Block July

Hi All,

Im pretty new to fallow hunting and I am absolutely over the moon I have got the Upper Caples block from July 1 to July 5. I'm just wondering if anyone has experience in that block and the best way to approach it? High bush, low bush, sit on clearings, a mixture of all, sunny side, shady side, etc

Both me and my mate will be having our 30th birthdays up there so we decided to fly in to Kay Creek hut using Glenorchy Helicopters. It seems like only one company has the rights to land at Upper Caples Hut which is a bit of crock of shit because they are very expensive due to having to fly from Queenstown Airport. Anyway, any advice, tips or old yarns would be appreciated!

Take a pocket full of smallish fencing Staples with you for the bunks,(beech poles and Hessian sacks. Last time I was in there they weren't in very good nick. Was a while ago now tho, there was an axe there too to knock them in with.

It will be a VERY COLD PLACE,where the sun will shine, so will the ghosting fallow deer.Enjoy yr trip.

G'day Grant. Its not too far to walk if you are worried about cost of flying. You could always fly in and walk out to cut the cost in half.
You don't need to wake up early to hunt fallow, just aim for inversion layer were there is no frost. Probably between 1200 - 1600 meters mid winter. The bucks may well be on the cold side of the valley and hinds on sunny slips.
You will figure it out. Good red numbers up higher as well.
Have a good time!

Kay Creek Hut is positioned in a truly beautiful location and the hut has a lot of character... although its not very big and you're unlikely to get much sun at this time of the year so I hope you have a good sleeping bag. I'm pretty certain you'll really enjoy yourself in there and I'd be surprised if you don't end up shooting something for the pot. A mate missed out on shooting a really nice Red 10-pointer in there last season and I've not heard of anyone catching up with it since so you might be lucky this year.

You'll probably find it necessary to get up into the scree slopes of Death Valley or the sunny eastern slopes of Kay Creek, further up from the hut. I doubt very much you'll find much in the bush south of the hut but if you have time you could go for a morning walk downstream and check out a couple of the slips either side of Kay Creek. It's mainly Red in there... at least I've not seen any Fallow anyhow... but some good advice from Gkp above.

Good luck and make sure you post your story with a few photos once you get back.

glenorchy helos are good guys who wont rip you off,from my experience...and plurry great pilots to boot....
take your thermal undergarments...polarfleece and lots of it....it can be plurry cold in that bit of the country...small square of closedcell foan mat to park your bum on while using good binos.take camera fo memories...mouse trap or two just incase hut is infested...seen it in there.

As above, it'll be chilly! The deer will be out enjoying the sunshine, so take ya puffy jacket and glass from the dark side. Lovely country, you'll enjoy it.

Thanks for all of the great advice! Im not too worried about the chopper, the glenorchy team seem like a good outfit. I just think its unfair they are not allowed to land further in.

It sounds like any temp abouve zero will be a bonus! Cant wait to get in there!
@planenutz thanks heaps for the heads up on the reds floating around.

And ill be sure to add mouse traps and a foam seat to the gear list!

We’ll be in the Greenstone late June, hunt above the frost line, take warm gear, enjoy

Also, I will make sure I follow up and post pictures of the trip

@kidmac42 Thanks. It looks like have done some work on Kay Creek and added mattresses and a concrete floor.
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queens...ight-use-again

FYI the only Helicopter company that can Land at Upper Caples is Glacier Southern Lakes. This is because the land is owned by Ngai Tahu and I think Glacier Southern Lakes is also owned by Ngai Tahu. The quote was about $3500 to fly in there from Queenstown Airport.

$3,500 for both ways? Where do they drop you?

$3500 is about right for a return trip in a squirrel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grantn

FYI the only Helicopter company that can Land at Upper Caples is Glacier Southern Lakes. This is because the land is owned by Ngai Tahu and I think Glacier Southern Lakes is also owned by Ngai Tahu. The quote was about $3500 to fly in there from Queenstown Airport.

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Fark! The mailboat from Queenstown to Elfin Bay jetty was $5!

And that was for a return journey!

That’s why we walk!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Finnwolf

Fark! The mailboat from Queenstown to Elfin Bay jetty was $5!

And that was for a return journey!

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I remember those days, the first time we flew into the Caples airstrip from Queenstown airport the cost was $32.

3.5 k woow How long does it take to walk from the last car park?

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Originally Posted by Trout

3.5 k woow How long does it take to walk from the last car park?

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About 4 hrs to Upper Caples hut from memory, and then about another 2 hrs to Kay Creek hut (at a guess).

Thanks Dama,iv never been there,only walked up the Dart at the end of May on a day walk.Buitifull area.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dama dama

About 4 hrs to Upper Caples hut from memory, and then about another 2 hrs to Kay Creek hut (at a guess).

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Yep - bang on, Dama Dama.

Just checked my App... took me 4 hours 25 minutes to walk into the Upper Caples Hut and 4 hours 8 minutes from the Upper Caples Hut back to the Carpark. Had a 10 minute break at the Mid Caples in both directions. Must have been fitter by the time I walked out. It's 16.4 km and uphill in both directions. I don't have the exact figures for the walk up to Kay Creek Hut but I think it's a good 2.5 hour walk from memory.

Just be aware that the Upper Caples Hut is a "private" hut - owned by NZDA - and it is always locked. Don't go walking in there expecting to park up for the night in a warm bed to break your trip up to Kay Creek. If you're going to break the trip in two you would need to stay at the Mid Caples Hut operated by DOC.

This photo below is looking up Kay Creek (center of frame) from the southern side of the Caples Valley, looking north. Lovely countryside. Snow is predicted this weekend so most of that will be white by next week.

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Private message sent.

Ditto what others have advised.Get your arse up into Kay Creek then let your binos do the walking.The hut is cold & dingey so take the odvious gear .Short hours of sun in there then

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Death Valley & looking back down Kay Creek

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River flat in Kay Creek & a small clearing in the upper part of the Upper Caples. You can see how hard the frosts were.

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1st photo: Looking back down in to the Upper Caples. You can see the start of Fraser Creek on the left
2nd photo: McKellar Saddle looking down to the Greenstone Valley just before sun down. All of the tarns frozen solid. A big red gave me the slip but the walk home under fall moon made up for it.

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1st Photo: The big clearing before sun up. Another amazing frost
2nd photo: Upper Caples hut before we headed out on the last day after some snow

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On our way back out Kay Creek
Kay Creek Hut was a welcome sight. It had a nice stream running through in front of the fire and the top bunks were covered in water. There were a lot of built in water features :)

We saw 60 odd fellow and a few reds. Nothing taken home but memories

Thanks for the photos and report.
Well done the temps must have been brutal.

Sure looks like it was cold but nice looking country alright. Sounds as if there were a few animals about. Good report.