Thread: pigs, goats in Taranaki region

Sorry couldn't resist that.

Goats are plentiful in the Taranaki region but it is really important to remember that they are a source of income for many farmers in the hill country. So it's really important to make sure that you know where you are and that you have permission to shoot. Having been through the region myself recently I have heard about the frustration with fellas coming into the area and shooting goats from the roads.

I'd say that probably 90% of goats I see from the road in that part of the world are on private land.

The absolute best way to open up good shooting opportunities in the Taranaki is to hop in your car and tour the region with a good map with the public hunting boundaries. Its a wonderful part of the country. Introduce yourself to local folk and assuming you're a GC pretty soon you'll find yourself being pointed towards good areas to shoot. There is plenty of public land and again it's a good idea to make sure you follow the rules to the T. On a recent trip, I did come across some local farmers at a trail head who were very unenthusiastic about people accessing DOC land adjacent to their farm due to the number of people shooting across the stream onto private land. It was the closest I've come to an outright threat for quite a long period of time... and I can only assume it is because they have been let down once too often.

The flipside to that is I went around to the next valley and met the precise opposite kind of bloke, and as per the trip write up spent the next several days in maximum goat attack mode. You meet all sorts.

The best way to attract the wrong kind of attention is to spotlight at night.

So hop in your car and get going!