Thread: Winter tops hunting

Hi guys, just wondering what your experiences hve been hunting the tops in winter time. Im based in Palmerston so usually hunt the Ruahines/ Tararua's, im keen to head to the tops for a change of scenery but didnt know how they would hunt in the winter months compared to lower bush/ river country?

Cheers,

Dawg

best to save it for summertime mate, Don't want to get caught out in a winter storm up there.

Hunt the warm gully heads where they merge into the tops. You will often see deer feeding up high in the broken tussock/leatherwood in these areas. Also glass the margin just under the leather wood. Especially when the sun hits it. In the Ruahines the deer feed on the soft silver flax (can't think of its name) around the tussock margins. They will camp up quite close to it if the WX is not too shite.

No matter where you go on the tops in winter you will mainly be seeing deer below you along the margins and down lower, rather than above you.

Plan your trip around the WX. Wait for a southerly to go through and then get hunting in the eye of fine weather that almost always follows a southerly.

You can get some great hunting in the lower tops areas of the Ruahines during the winter. Take good gear and plan your trip carefully.
I used to hunt the Ruahines year round because I had to, and the winter was still quite productive.

Down here in North Canterbury I've had good success through to Queens Birthday hunting the tops/bushline. Once the snow is settled on the tops I give it a rest until spring. As Tahr mentioned look closely at the weather forecast, but I have seen deer out in the open during a light snow storm.

Sunny faces mate. Unless chopper/hunting pressure is high, you will find the deer will often camp up in a sunny gut in the fringe country making the most of the short daylight hours to warm up. I have good success hunting through winter in the tops down here, and normally see deer camped up in the tussock all day. Stags in particular right after the roar will be in the sunny faces feeding up post roar - good time to find that big old stag that has avoided hunters all roar

All good advice from experienced people, usual saying springs to mind 'only one way to find out'.

I'd be using Google earth and walking access and looking at areas mentioned above, then take a look when the weathers good as tahr mentioned.

Originally Posted by Dawg

Hi guys, just wondering what your experiences hve been hunting the tops in winter time. Im based in Palmerston so usually hunt the Ruahines/ Tararua's, im keen to head to the tops for a change of scenery but didnt know how they would hunt in the winter months compared to lower bush/ river country?

Cheers,

Dawg

I did a winter run on venison in the central NI a couple years ago. I was genuinely surprised at how many deer we found up high in the Ruahines. Western faces and gullies, with medium to high scrub were productive. We would also catch them miles from any cover around mid afternoon on a good day.
If I lowered my IQ which is in single figures now, and moved to the NI. I would be pretty confident of keeping my freezer full up there.