Hunting Permits

Hello Everyone, new member here, I'm planning a solo, self guided 5 week backpack hunting trip from the UK to New Zealand South Island in February and March next year. I'll be after camp meat, so a goat, pig or young deer is all I'd be after, no

Trophies. Been doing lots of research and I'm aware I need to purchase Permits for hunting(recurve bow) and fishing on DOC land. The permits are valid for 4 months so I haven't purchased any as yet, but when looking at the DOC website I get the

impression that I'd need to buy a permit for every Block I intended to hunt in. Is it possible to buy a permit for either the whole of the South Island or maybe just regions, also how much do they cost, I can't see any prices on the DOC website.

Many thanks,

Nick

Hunting Permits are free, and you can just select all areas when you get it online. Fishing license for fresh water must be purchased


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There are some areas which are balloted I think but not too sure on those as I don’t go there


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Free ?!!, I can't believe it, your so lucky down there. I was budgeting quite a lot of money for the permits. It would cost me the equivalent of about $400 NZ dollars to have a 3 hour stalking session here and then the same again to buy the hind that I'd shot, a lot more

for a stag!!

many thanks for taking the time to reply HOO, you have made me very happy.

Best wishes,

Nick

Yep it’s a pretty good system.

Just make sure you print the permit out and take it with you.
I’ve never actually been asked by anyone to see it but always have it with me or at least screenshots of it on my phone.
Has all the rules regarding hunting in NZ on the permit and I assume any rules that might pertain to the area you’re hunting in.


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Some people would disagree but numbers are too high here so shoot hinds does or nannie’s for camp meat


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Originally Posted by Nick-UK

Free ?!!, I can't believe it, your so lucky down there. I was budgeting quite a lot of money for the permits. It would cost me the equivalent of about $400 NZ dollars to have a 3 hour stalking session here and then the same again to buy the hind that I'd shot, a lot more

for a stag!!

many thanks for taking the time to reply HOO, you have made me very happy.

Best wishes,

Nick

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For a lot of us deer are pest animals that need to be gotten rid of.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick-UK

Free ?!!, I can't believe it, your so lucky down there. I was budgeting quite a lot of money for the permits. It would cost me the equivalent of about $400 NZ dollars to have a 3 hour stalking session here and then the same again to buy the hind that I'd shot, a lot more

for a stag!!

many thanks for taking the time to reply HOO, you have made me very happy.

Best wishes,

Nick

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Public access hunting is really good compared to Europe and even parts of North America. Just bear in mind that in a lot of areas, you have to put in the hard yards and have good skills to get on to an animal, especially if bow hunting. A lot of the hunting that you see on social media is done on private land which is a different kettle of fish. Goats are a great animal to start on, being plentiful in some areas and no too bright. My family live on goat meat.

Goats better than lamb IMHO MB
just not old stinky billies

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Originally Posted by Sharki

Goats better than lamb IMHO MB
just not old stinky billies

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I would like to eat a goat better than this wild lamb from last week !

So tender and tasty you could suck it through a straw

So Attachment 234047

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Originally Posted by akaroa1

I would like to eat a goat better than this wild lamb from last week !

So tender and tasty you could suck it through a straw

So Attachment 234047

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But head shots only on these little ones or you wreck half the meat.
When you catch the ewes out in the open they are hard to get close
Lots of very wary eyes despite the long wool over them

Greetings Nick! Love your part of the world, and miss bits of it terribly.

Permit application form is here:
https://huntingpermits.doc.govt.nz/huntingpermits/start
Probably best to just tick them all to give yourself flexibility. I think there is also info on the main hunting areas whether it's open or restricted/balloted.

More info here on rules (incl. for bows)
https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...unting-permit/

And the map with open/restricted hunting areas
https://www.doc.govt.nz/map/index.html

Would highly recommend using NZTopoMaps app. The free version you can see Topo maps (obvs) and good aerial phot, as well as overlays with the open hunting areas. For I think NZ$12 you can get the pro version which allows you to plan and record all your tracks, and some other things I prob don't use. Not sure if it works overseas, but you could prob sort that when you get here.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...is.nzmaps.free

I use Topo maps app in combo with this website which shows public access routes (landowner permission still required for some routes, bur would prob be a courtesy for most anyway)
https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/map...r-access-maps/

Saw your other post. I would probably say if going solo, an Inreach is apparently useful for non-life threatening situations, but most would recommend a PLB as well. You'll find a few threads on here where Inreach hasn't got through. For the price of 5 weeks hire, or a bit more than your 3 hour stalk, you could buy one here, and maybe even sell it before you leave. Peter on here as @CooeeBay will be able to help you more on that front probably. I bought mine from him, great prices, great knowledge, and excellent customer service.

Also, I have a fair bit of extra stuff sitting here not getting used, so if you wanted to borrow a tent/tarp/sleeping bag/bivi to save bringing it out, should be able to work something out.

That's prob a good start. There will most likely be some good tips on where might be good to focus your attention for not-difficult access with a good chance of getting something. Wrong island, but if you find yourself in Wellington, there's a bed here (2.3 star rating, so don't get your hopes up! Although luckily the guest suite is in the non-rotten part of the house).

Good luck with the planning!

Just to clarify, Doc Hunting permits are solely for public land and do not allow you to hunt game birds. Private land you need permission from the landowner.

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Originally Posted by whanahuia

Just to clarify, Doc Hunting permits are solely for public land and do not allow you to hunt game birds. Private land you need permission from the landowner.

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Ah yeah, very good point.

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Originally Posted by whanahuia

Just to clarify, Doc Hunting permits are solely for public land and do not allow you to hunt game birds. Private land you need permission from the landowner.

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Good point. "Fish & Game" are a quasi-governmental organisation and have nothing to do with big game hunting. I can see how it would be confusing for a visitor!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick-UK

Free ?!!, I can't believe it, your so lucky down there. I was budgeting quite a lot of money for the permits. It would cost me the equivalent of about $400 NZ dollars to have a 3 hour stalking session here and then the same again to buy the hind that I'd shot, a lot more

for a stag!!

many thanks for taking the time to reply HOO, you have made me very happy.

Best wishes,

Nick

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You'll need to put that $400 towards diesel and RUC's;)

It will be quite challenging to get deer here in the south island with a bow, sure its possible but if you are hoping to feed yourself on deer, that might be quite hard. Goats can be a lot more plentiful and stupid but only in certain limited areas. Much of the south island there are no goats around. If you do need a feed, I wouldn't go past possums, they are very easy to find and kill with a bow almost anywhere in the south island. I haven't tried them myself but I have heard they are pretty good. Make sure to check them over and cook them well as they can carry diseases. The problem is it is much easier to find them at night but it is illegal to hunt at night on public land. In saying that, if you are in the middle of nowhere and you are only using a bow at close range and the possum is on the ground.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDbad1Ubvvw

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Originally Posted by HOO

Some people would disagree but numbers are too high here so shoot hinds does or nannie’s for camp meat


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Hi HOO, thanks for your replies, it is much appreciated, I fully agree.

Hello Everyone,
I'd just like to say a big thank you to you all for taking the time to reply, many thanks. Some great points raised and lots more to think about, also the more I learn about New Zealand the Greater it sounds, more questions to follow.

Many thanks.

Hello yeah_na_missed, thanks for taking the time with such a detailed and generous reply, some great links and info there, especially about the inreach, I'll be looking into PLB's now. Many thanks indeed.
Best wishes,
Nick

Hi Juicy, thanks for that info, in a way it is the challenge of getting that close to a wild animal, about 12 yds ideally, that I much prefer the bow. Over here I practice hunting and getting close to deer but without a weapon, just trying to get as close as possible and no kill.
That guy on youtube, "keeping it wild", is great, very knowledgeable and inspirational, along with "Strider", "Just wild NZ", "westcoast Adventures" and "South Island Rifle Walkers", these have been my main inspiration for planning this trip.

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Originally Posted by XR500

You'll need to put that $400 towards diesel and RUC's;)

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Hi XR500, what are RUC's?

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Originally Posted by Nick-UK

Hi XR500, what are RUC's?

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Here we have a fuel tax on petrol but not diesel, for historical reasons relating to farming. The tax is hypothecated for building and maintaining roads. The diesel cars that drive on the road pay Road User Charges instead, levied on kms driven, not litres of fuel.

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

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Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

For a lot of us deer are pest animals that need to be gotten rid of.

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Managed is a better word.
Otherwise you're pandering to the lefties.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick-UK

Hi Juicy, thanks for that info, in a way it is the challenge of getting that close to a wild animal, about 12 yds ideally, that I much prefer the bow. Over here I practice hunting and getting close to deer but without a weapon, just trying to get as close as possible and no kill.
That guy on youtube, "keeping it wild", is great, very knowledgeable and inspirational, along with "Strider", "Just wild NZ", "westcoast Adventures" and "South Island Rifle Walkers", these have been my main inspiration for planning this trip.

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Also https://www.youtube.com/@NZWildAdventures is one of my favourites. Some of the missions that guy does in his inflatable boat are nuts (stewart island and Fiordland). Send me a private message and I can point you to a spot in Canterbury where I reckon you would have a fair chance of getting close to a deer. I also know where most of the spots where the South Island rifle walker videos are. I'm guessing your best bet will be bush or bush edge hunting in the valleys rather than the open tops with the bow. Although I have seen some pretty good efforts of sneaking right up on deer and thar even on the open tops in the previously mentioned videos. The more remote you go the less switched on the game animals are generally.

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Originally Posted by Juicy

Also https://www.youtube.com/@NZWildAdventures is one of my favourites. Some of the missions that guy does in his inflatable boat are nuts (stewart island and Fiordland). Send me a private message and I can point you to a spot in Canterbury where I reckon you would have a fair chance of getting close to a deer. I also know where most of the spots where the South Island rifle walker videos are. I'm guessing your best bet will be bush or bush edge hunting in the valleys rather than the open tops with the bow. Although I have seen some pretty good efforts of sneaking right up on deer and thar even on the open tops in the previously mentioned videos. The more remote you go the less switched on the game animals are generally.

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Hi Juicy, thanks for your message and offer, I can't work out how to pm, maybe I'm not allowed as yet. It is very daunting just looking at a map of the whole South Island and wondering where to go.
Best wishes,
Nick

Hmm, you may not have enough posts. Perhaps flick us an email jmr.chch@gmail.com

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Originally Posted by yeah_na_missed

Greetings Nick! Love your part of the world, and miss bits of it terribly.

Permit application form is here:
https://huntingpermits.doc.govt.nz/huntingpermits/start
Probably best to just tick them all to give yourself flexibility. I think there is also info on the main hunting areas whether it's open or restricted/balloted.

More info here on rules (incl. for bows)
https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...unting-permit/

And the map with open/restricted hunting areas
https://www.doc.govt.nz/map/index.html

Would highly recommend using NZTopoMaps app. The free version you can see Topo maps (obvs) and good aerial phot, as well as overlays with the open hunting areas. For I think NZ$12 you can get the pro version which allows you to plan and record all your tracks, and some other things I prob don't use. Not sure if it works overseas, but you could prob sort that when you get here.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...is.nzmaps.free

I use Topo maps app in combo with this website which shows public access routes (landowner permission still required for some routes, bur would prob be a courtesy for most anyway)
https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/map...r-access-maps/

Saw your other post. I would probably say if going solo, an Inreach is apparently useful for non-life threatening situations, but most would recommend a PLB as well. You'll find a few threads on here where Inreach hasn't got through. For the price of 5 weeks hire, or a bit more than your 3 hour stalk, you could buy one here, and maybe even sell it before you leave. Peter on here as @CooeeBay will be able to help you more on that front probably. I bought mine from him, great prices, great knowledge, and excellent customer service.

Also, I have a fair bit of extra stuff sitting here not getting used, so if you wanted to borrow a tent/tarp/sleeping bag/bivi to save bringing it out, should be able to work something out.

That's prob a good start. There will most likely be some good tips on where might be good to focus your attention for not-difficult access with a good chance of getting something. Wrong island, but if you find yourself in Wellington, there's a bed here (2.3 star rating, so don't get your hopes up! Although luckily the guest suite is in the non-rotten part of the house).

Good luck with the planning!

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DOC interactive map is amazing for pre-mission planning. i usually print off areas im going to A4 sheets with Topo on 1 side and Sattelite on the other.
And NZ Topo50 app on the phone is great when youre on the hill.

I just tick every box there is for every area. All Islands. That way I am covered. @Nick-UK you might as well do the same.

By law in NZ you need to obtain permission to hunt on any land. The hunting permit is essentially just a formality that allows DOC to give you permission and for you to prove that you have that permission to hunt on DOC controlled conservation estate.


What parts of South Island are you thinking of heading to?

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Originally Posted by longshot

I just tick every box there is for every area. All Islands. That way I am covered. @Nick-UK you might as well do the same.

By law in NZ you need to obtain permission to hunt on any land. The hunting permit is essentially just a formality that allows DOC to give you permission and for you to prove that you have that permission to hunt on DOC controlled conservation estate.


What parts of South Island are you thinking of heading to?

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Hello Longshot, that makes sense, I will be ticking lots of boxes. I haven't yet finalised my plan of travel but I'm thinking the Arthurs Pass area first, then out to WestCoast, then maybe up to Kahurangi or down to Fiordland, too much to see really.

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Originally Posted by Nick-UK

Hello Longshot, that makes sense, I will be ticking lots of boxes. I haven't yet finalised my plan of travel but I'm thinking the Arthurs Pass area first, then out to WestCoast, then maybe up to Kahurangi or down to Fiordland, too much to see really.

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Depending how you are travelling, one option to consider for getting up to Arthurs pass is the Trans Alpine train, if you start from Christchurch, you can hop off at Arthurs pass or Otira and you are almost as close as you would get with a car(disclaimer I haven't actually hunted around these parts so someone may be along shortly to correct me). After you have hunted around the area, you could get the next train to West Coast and pick up a rental car from the railway station in Greymouth.

Another option to consider for travelling is this website:

https://www.transfercar.co.nz/

It is all the rental cars that need to do an empty run to get back to their home depot. More than half our tourists drive south instead of north in rental cars, so there is always a pool of free trips going north, sometimes going the other way too. If you are flexible about day and type of car and happy to bridge the gaps with public transport it can work really well, I use it a lot myself and really rate it as an option.
It won't cover your whole trip, but it could save you some dollars if that is one of your priorities and you can make it work.

I have a funny feeling that rental vehicles aren't insured for the Rainbow Road, but driving through there is a couple of days well spent if you get the chance (it is 4WD only), there are several DOC huts along the road that are vehicle accessible and deer in there too and you could tack on the Molesworth as well after a soak at Hanmer if you start the Rainbow from St Arnaud.

The South Island is a great place to travel, I spent a few days in Snowdonia in Wales a few years back and it reminded me very much of our South Island High Country.

Also getting on to deer with a bow in the Sth Island will be a challenge, I wouldn't depend on it for meat but you will still have an awesome time as long as you pack some freeze dry nose bags for if you don't any venison. Ask around here and someone will point you toward some goats though, they are easy to find, sneak up on and plentiful enough in certain places that not many people are precious about their goat hunting spot.

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Originally Posted by longshot

I have a funny feeling that rental vehicles aren't insured for the Rainbow Road, but driving through there is a couple of days well spent if you get the chance (it is 4WD only), there are several DOC huts along the road that are vehicle accessible and deer in there too and you could tack on the Molesworth as well after a soak at Hanmer if you start the Rainbow from St Arnaud.

The South Island is a great place to travel, I spent a few days in Snowdonia in Wales a few years back and it reminded me very much of our South Island High Country.

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Basically no rental car agency will let you take them off road, I know someone who hired a Hilux a couple of years ago and even that had a no gravel disclaimer in the policy, didn't stop him but it was in there.

You will definitely need to obtain a Molesworth permit and not all blocks are available year round. Molesworth

Some good info there, Longshot and HappyJack, many thanks. I have contacted 4wd rental companies and yes they do say their vehicles are not allowed off road, which is a bit pointless really. I haven't as yet looked into trains, that would be a good idea, otherwise I'd being paying out hire fees for a car parked up for a week or so. I wonder if they would mind me getting on board a train with a dead goat strapped to my rucksack, it's probably the norm in New Zealand.

There aren't many areas you can get to by train but Arthurs pass as mentioned is one. If you wrapped the goat in a blanket and bound the blanket with cord, it wouldn't cause any drama as long as it isn't over ripe.

Renting a 4x4 for 5 weeks will probably set you back in the order of around 4.5k. A lot of people that travel NZ buy a vehicle on arrival and either dump it or on sell when they leave. Obviously there are pros and cons with both options.
At any rate, when you have a rough plan in place, you may do well to post it up for logistical critique. You will soon find out which parts of it are realistic and not.

Forget public transport!

I picked a car up at Hokitika airport and dropped it at Christchurch airport no worries 8 days $750 not crazy expensive!