Thread: whats needed when hunting the south island

hey all, I might be heading down south for uni next year and was wondering what gear id need/ wanna take if i was to do hunting in the colder months while im down there. Im a north island bush hunter so I dont know much about super cold and alpine areas so I am wanting some direction on what i would need as i know for sure thermals and stubbie shorts wont cut it.

cheers

You’ll get use to it pretty quick. A good rain jacket and over trousers, down jacket, binos, long Johns.

Wind/water proof layers, good gloves, beanie, sturdy boots, binoculars, insulation layers,a pair of trekking poles goes along well for big open alpine stuff, if you’re capable of shooting a few hundred metres it will help you be successful more often than not

Fitness the hills down here are a hell of a lot bigger.
Stubbies and thermals work just fine plenty of us wear them including me.

...Strong legs and a flexible neck to look straight upwards towards those Thar containing tops

the only real difference....and this is been historically the same... you replace heavy woolie swannie with a light windbreaking nylon parka.....
lace up gummies will still cut the mustard unless you intend to spend lots of time up in rock n shale...they work but get plurry hot quickly and not so good for support.

Some decent waterproof boots is one thing I didn't have when I moved south from CNI. I found I didn't get out much in colder weather before upgrading my boots.

get a rifle that can shoot up hill mate , those north island ones like creedmoors , 708's and stuff just end up making holes in the dirt

Originally Posted by HILLBILLYHUNTERS

get a rifle that can shoot up hill mate , those north island ones like creedmoors , 708's and stuff just end up making holes in the dirt

Post of the week right here

passport, current visa and up to date covid vaccination pass....

Originally Posted by HILLBILLYHUNTERS

get a rifle that can shoot up hill mate , those north island ones like creedmoors , 708's and stuff just end up making holes in the dirt

dont worry mate I use a 7 mighty magnum but I probably upgrade the scope from a 10x to something like 14x

Gear that I started to use a lot more in the South compared to the North:
- Trekking pole (Not practical in many North Island bush bashing situations)
- Binoculars (More game are found by glassing rather than stalking)
- Range finder (Shots are typically at longer ranges)
- Foam roll (For sitting on over extended period of time while glassing)

Three seasons are pretty much the same as north island. Dont buy too much before you get down there.

Always take sunglasses on a string if there might be snow.

Always carry a spare pair of socks with you on the hill. Have plastic bags over your socks inside your boots if they are wet.

Pay some attention to your gloves. Inner thin polypro tnatcwill get wet pushing through bush and dcrub. Thicker perhaps polarflece for real warmth. Outer wind and snow proof mitts.

You will need knee length snow gaiters if you havent already got them.

A 70 -80 cm ice axe is the most useful much better than leki poles imho.
Dont get crampons or rigid boots until youve done an alpine instruction course ( which you may never need to do). Lace up buller gumboots wil get you a ling way. Theyyre waterproof, easy to dry and have good tread. But get some insoles for them. You could be walking for 4 hours on fist sized rocks and feet get a pummeling.

Boots - up north I used lightweight Solomon boots but down here they’re ok over the warmer months but don’t last long up on the mountains as they take more of a punishment. A solid leather boot works well as they handle the punishment better and also keep your feet dry over the colder months, you DO NOT want to get your boots wet over winter!

Gaiters - not only do they keep out the rocks, crap, snow but also give some protection against matagouri, spear grass which you’ll learn to hate.

Warm clothes - a good down jacket, macpac halo is great, good thermals, rain gear which I bought a set of ex army rain coat and leggings from an ex army store which fold down to nothing are solid pieces of gear for bigger all $$$

Sleeping bag - over winter you need a good -10 bag

Ice axe / crampons - nice items to have BUT they can also get you into a world of hurt as you can soon think your Edmund Hillary and get you into country you can’t get yourself out of. Sometimes it’s just easy to go up, up and up some more but not so when it comes to coming down. It you want to get into serious alpine then do an alpine course.

Walking pole - highly recommended as they help with your knees but also balance when walking off the hills.

Optics - you need to see the animals and your going to spend ALOT of time sitting behind a pair of binoculars so a good 10x is a must, a good quality spotter also helps assess an animal which saves you time and energy by not pursuing it due to it not being a shooter. A good range finder is also a must as it’s often hard to judge distances even when shooting across a valley.

Give it a year or two of hunting and you’ll soon see what you reds, what works for you and what doesn’t but by far just get out and go hunting as that’s often our biggest challenge… getting out ��

Long legs the rivers are a helluva lot colder on your under carriage! But seriously @Sevenths has it covered