Thread: West Coast hunting

Hi all. I'm a kiwi based overseas for a few years who's back home for a couple of months. I'm trying to get my fill of the good life while I'm here so have booked a chopper ex Hokitika for a long-weekend with some mate in late April.

Apologies if this isn't the right place to post this but I'm after some advice on where to go - not after secret spots, but just general areas. We're not trophy-hunters, just after a bit of meat and spending some time in some spectacular country with some good mates. Having said that, we are keen to head to places where there are reasonable numbers of animals (deer, chamois, tahr - in that order) given we're very much still learning as hunters. We'll be staying in a hut.

I've heard mixed reviews about the upper Waitaha/Mikonui (which was the original plan) with some people saying there are very few animals there and you need to go south of the Wanganui river. Normally I'd head lower-down to Frews or the like but imagine that, with the roar on, there will be plenty of folks with rifles around and am keen to find a bit of peace and quiet if possible, especially as I'll be heading in via chopper. Seems like DOC has been blasting a bit further up so imagine it makes sense to avoid those areas too?

Anyway, any advice welcome - including via DM/PM if easier - and please point me in the right direction if this question has been asked before or there's another page that it's better directed to. Particularly keen to hear about people's experience of hunting in that part of the country recently - where was good, where wasn't, etc.

Thanks in advance

as chopper ...they will know....NOT SURE but isnt a lot of that area in blocks for that time of year???

Thanks Mickey Duck. Yeah all good I’ll ask the pilot closer to the time. Not sure about blocks to be honest but I’ll be on public land. Cheers.

Flew into upper waitaha a few years back, long expensive flight, seen couple chams and a couple of tahr that were impossible to get to, wouldn’t go back, plenty of area to the north that will be better

Thanks Smiddy. Appreciate the advice - very helpful. I’ll drop you a PM too. Cheers.