Thread: Good shooting in Whangarei

Is there good places to shoot, hunt and good gun shops in Whangarei?

No.

There is an NZDA range out at Marua, a Full bore range out to 1000 & the pistol club. Over Dargaville there is another pistol club & they do rifle shooting there too.

I've asked this before and haven't got very far. Are there any ranges where you can just turn up to zero or practice with a hunting rifle? Happy to pay a reasonable membership fee.

Originally Posted by MB

I've asked this before and haven't got very far. Are there any ranges where you can just turn up to zero or practice with a hunting rifle? Happy to pay a reasonable membership fee.

Check with Alan at Deerstalkers, they have open days at the Marua range on some Sundays where anyone can turn up and shoot, used to be a $5 fee for targets etc.


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Originally Posted by MB

I've asked this before and haven't got very far. Are there any ranges where you can just turn up to zero or practice with a hunting rifle? Happy to pay a reasonable membership fee.

Dargaville long range club?

the guy in kaikohe has been pretty good for getting me hornady bullets

things are a bit lean shop wise

just go up a doc controlled area you are aloud to hunt in and set up a target

tangihuas should still have plenty of goats/pigs

south head is right on your toes if you can get access but I still havent been able to even with friends hunting it

No long range in Dargaville open to public that I know of.

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

Is there good places to shoot, hunt and good gun shops in Whangarei?

A slightly more constructive answer now that I have time.

1) Shooting on ranges? Check out the suggestions above. Have a feeling I've done it before and didn't get very far, but will look in to it again.

2) Hunting? Some joker always says there are sika in the Russell Forest, but not enough to seriously consider targeting. Not on public land anyway. Regardless, Northland Regional Council are putting in considerable resources to exterminate them. Yes, there are goats and pigs on public land, but the bush is so steep and dense that it can be hard going. Like anywhere else though, if you put the time in, you will find a few spots. Pigs with dogs is very viable, rifle hunting less so. If you are fortunate enough to have access to private land, it's obviously a different story, but don't think that farmers are just waiting for you to knock on the door. The private land hunting is well wrapped up.

3) Shopping? If H&F is your thing, you will be fine. If not, you're stuffed. Two stores in Whangarei and a few spread across the other Northland towns.

Don't forget the Omerahoe Range as well up in BOI. Never been my self as I'm luckly enough to get some private land access, or the NZDA range at Marua just north of Whangarei.

We are hard done by for hunting up here unless you can get access to some private land for goats of pigs. Lots of DOC land patches but they can be hard to access and hard going.
Best just get up at 3am and drive south getting to Auckland before 6am.

Probably the nicest hunting is if you can get access is to forestry blocks. Particularly the new blocks planted on retired beef blocks, lots of grass, typically tracked and good site lines until they thicken up, Then well managed blocks that are thinned & pruned so you can still walk around and see up to 50 mtr and find goats but expect short range action.

Typically these are very hard to come by and well guarded buy those in the know. I have shot on 3-4 blocks. Best where the ones with young trees or older ones close to harvest.
Cut over stuff is hard work to walk through. Best to just glass and walk the fringes or tracks. Or use a dog for Birds. Unthinned stuff is just too dense, except for the grassy areas.

North side access to Tangihua has been lost I hear with new owners. This was a popular access for a lot of hunters, both pig and goat. I have never been in from the south side but did see a recent post here about it. Can be a fair walk. Often good goat numbers on the western and northern sides.
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