Thread: Worth getting a compound bow for Wellington region?

My wife and I finally moved permanently to New Zealand after spending a number of years travelling. We're in the Lower Hutt region for a few months with family but will probably end up moving down to Nelson eventually when we find a house. I've hunted in Romania for 2+ years while we lived there and had a firearms license but I never hunted with a bow as it was not legal. Had a 40lb recuve I would shoot in the backyard for practice, but that was as far as I could go in Romania. I applied for my firearms license here in New Zealand a few weeks ago, but the guy at Hunting & Fishing kind of scared me when he said he got his license in about 6 weeks, but his buddy who was from Japan had to wait 18 months. I worried that since I've lived in Canada for 30 years and Romania for 3 that my background checks are going to take a while.

I was debating getting a Sanlida Dragon X8 from Archery Warehouse for a few hundred bucks and just getting out in the bush until the firearms license comes, but not sure if this is just a fool's quest. Anyone here have experience bow hunting in the Wellington region? I signed up for NZDA membership and asked if they were going to run any courses this year but haven't heard back yet. Bought a Toyota Hilux so I can get to some more remote places if need be, and am just looking for a bit of advice on how to get started or if a bow in this region is not really worth the effort and I should just wait for the firearms license. Been trying to find YouTube channels to follow to learn how to bow hunt in New Zealand, but most of what I've found seems to be in the South Island. Are there any good channels that show how bow hunting is done in thick bush like we have up here in Wellington?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

i would be talking to mathew at advanced archery about a bow. he will set you right.
my mrs uses a mang kun, she is happy with it though we have upgraded the sights and rest. i use a bowtech which is very expensive and probably not the sort of $$ you want to spend on a starter bow.

I've never hunted in that area, but I would say just go for it. You don't have anything to lose getting out there, at worst you learn the country around you a bit for when you get your FAL. There will be an archery/bowhunting club in the Wellington region.

I pulled the trigger and got a bow. Nothing fancy in case I don't fall in love with it. Also found a club here in Lower Hutt that I'll join to see if I can find more experienced folks to learn from.

Originally Posted by UndercoverPalmtree

I pulled the trigger and got a bow. Nothing fancy in case I don't fall in love with it. Also found a club here in Lower Hutt that I'll join to see if I can find more experienced folks to learn from.

so what did you buy?

Sanlida Dragon x8.... based on a lot of YouTube videos I watched people thought it was a great, cheap, beginner bow to get into the sport. I went down to Hunting & Fishing and tried a Swift CC3 that was selling for $500 and a PSE Stinger ATK that was $1150 and I couldn't really tell the difference between them, they both looked good and felt the same since I'm a complete novice and don't know what to look/feel for. I was about the just buy the Swift since it was actually cheaper than the Sanlida but couldn't find any reviews on it and decided against it.

Now while I wait for the bow to arrive I've just been going on scouting trips to figure out where I would even be able to hunt.

Originally Posted by UndercoverPalmtree

I pulled the trigger and got a bow. Nothing fancy in case I don't fall in love with it. Also found a club here in Lower Hutt that I'll join to see if I can find more experienced folks to learn from.

Yeah nice! The bow I have is an old 2014 model which only cost me a couple hundred, does the job in the right hands

I bought a Topoint T1, but it was a very close call against the Sanlida. Im keen to hear your thoughts once it arrives.

I would start your FAL at the same time as picking up a bow. Ive got a mate from Canada apply for his FAL and so far taking no longer than normal (he is just waiting for final vetting)

Originally Posted by Billbob

I would start your FAL at the same time as picking up a bow. Ive got a mate from Canada apply for his FAL and so far taking no longer than normal (he is just waiting for final vetting)

Yeah I applied for my FAL a few days after getting to NZ and made sure to get my criminal record checks for both Canada and Romania. Hopefully it doesn't take 6+ months to get it.

Originally Posted by UndercoverPalmtree

Yeah I applied for my FAL a few days after getting to NZ and made sure to get my criminal record checks for both Canada and Romania. Hopefully it doesn't take 6+ months to get it.

Do you already have your police checks? Took over 2 months to get mine from Hungary a while back, also they wouldn't send it in English so had to get official translation.

Originally Posted by Boar Freak

Do you already have your police checks? Took over 2 months to get mine from Hungary a while back, also they wouldn't send it in English so had to get official translation.

Yeah, I got both the Canadian and the Romanian one and I translated the Romanian one with a notary and got it all stamped and official before I came to New Zealand.

Remutaka got a bunch of goats @UndercoverPalmtree, they will be good to practice stalking. Can hunt them all day , if you are good enough you should be able have multiple encounters each day.
Once you're good enough at the range grab some decent broadheads (NAP thunder heads, or Muzzy fix blades) and go for it. Hunt the same way you would bush hunt with a rifle just get quite a bit closer
I get my stuff from archery direct.

Originally Posted by Boar Freak

Remutaka got a bunch of goats @UndercoverPalmtree, they will be good to practice stalking. Can hunt them all day , if you are good enough you should be able have multiple encounters each day.
Once you're good enough at the range grab some decent broadheads (NAP thunder heads, or Muzzy fix blades) and go for it. Hunt the same way you would bush hunt with a rifle just get quite a bit closer
I get my stuff from archery direct.

So I'd love to go after goats but I'm not sure where to go exactly as I don't know what their habits are like. I went up to Remutaka Trig, got up to the top and started heading into the bush. Found a bunch of goat poo on the animal trails up there which was promising. However, as soon as you get into the actual bush it's so thick I can't imagine how you would move around and get within range of anything without spooking it as there is so much foliage everywhere. I've been trying to find YouTube videos of people bow hunting goats up in the north island to see how it's done but haven't found any yet. I can move quietly on a DOC trail but I thought you weren't allowed to shoot anything from the trail, or does that apply just to firearms? Should I just get up early in the morning before sunrise and just start walking up some of these trails and see if I run into something?

Originally Posted by UndercoverPalmtree

So I'd love to go after goats but I'm not sure where to go exactly as I don't know what their habits are like. I went up to Remutaka Trig, got up to the top and started heading into the bush. Found a bunch of goat poo on the animal trails up there which was promising. However, as soon as you get into the actual bush it's so thick I can't imagine how you would move around and get within range of anything without spooking it as there is so much foliage everywhere. I've been trying to find YouTube videos of people bow hunting goats up in the north island to see how it's done but haven't found any yet. I can move quietly on a DOC trail but I thought you weren't allowed to shoot anything from the trail, or does that apply just to firearms? Should I just get up early in the morning before sunrise and just start walking up some of these trails and see if I run into something?

Flick me an email. Got a couple of goat and deer spots I don't really go to anymore.