Thread: Stone Hut

Nah flew in last sunday and out last Thursday with Malcolm.
I'll get a report and some pics sorted soonish

Originally Posted by Bos

Nah flew in last sunday and out last Thursday with Malcolm.
I'll get a report and some pics sorted soonish

Great.

So it looks like I've opened the flood gates goin by a heap of you guys got in touch, and who like the looks of the Stone Hut area.
We normally go for a Tahr hunt every year about this time; only because my days of trudging through deep snow are over, along with the animals bein a bit lower this time of year. What we found this year was that the winter must have been relatively warm because the skins were crap; hair falling out all over the place, and there was a lot of feed up high so a bit of climbing involved. There were a few animals living down low but not as many out in the tussock as we'd previously seen.
Overall we must have see around 60 - 70 animals which is usual, and shot about a dozen. Son In law shot his first Tahr, a bull just short of 13". What a bloody tin-arse as it was the first one he's ever seen on the hill.
We flew in and out with Malcolm Prouting in the 500 (Notar) which will carry 400 kgs incl passenger weight. He's pretty exacting about this weight thing. For this taxi ride he charged us $1400 which was the same as he charged us 2 years ago which I thought was pretty reasonable
Stone hut is on the Te araroa trail so gets a few tramping type visitors. They start off at the Bush stream carpark and walk to Crooked Spur hut. Then onto to the 8 bunk Stone hut, and then on another 2.5 hours to the Royal hut. DOC (in their infinite wisdom and knowledge of the high country), have removed the stock bridge across Bush stream just below the Stone hut. If you get stuck at Crooked spur due to rain, DONT walk to Stone hut as the Stream (river) will be impassable. From the Royal hut they walk either down Forrest creek, or over the top towards Tekapo.
We asked one young english guy where he was heading..........when he replied "Bluff", I bloody near fell of the chair.
The bridge has only stood for 40 odd years and was as strong as the day it was built (by Laurie Prouting to allow sheep and cattle to cross). Apparently it wasn't certified by a DOC engineer.
Most of the hunting we did was through the faces above the hut. This is the steepest and bluffiest country and hold plenty of animals but in previous trips we've shot them all around the hut and even just out in the rolling tussock. You can usually see them from the hut in mobs of 6 plus. The closer you get to the Royal hut which is only 2.5 hours from the Stone hut, the more the country flattens out and tends to hold less animals. We didn't see any deer this trip but have done in previous years. Every afternoon at around 5 ish, true to form you'd see the mobs slowly feeding there way down hill from the bluffs and shingle down to the tussock and creek systems - very habitual.
All in all, it was a great trip with fine warm weather. Its the kind of place to take a grandson type person, a newby to hunting, or someone who has never shot a Tahr before. Pretty easy country to hunt really.
Hope I've answered everyones questions but if I haven't, just make the answers up for yourself,
Heres some pics