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FIORDLAND
Special
Feature: Trophy wapiti in a World Heritage Area
To hunt the high tops, hanging valleys and big basins of
Fiordland National Park is a rare privilege.
This tangled mass of peaks and glacial valleys has awesome
grandeur and well deserves its World Heritage Area status. It is
simply one of the most beautiful places on earth. Fourteen fiords
are spaced along the west coast, and the ranges between the coast
and lakes Te Anau, Manapouri and Hauroko offer some of the best
hunting in New Zealand.
Wapiti were named by the American Indians, but the term elk was
adopted in the U.S. and Europe. This largest species of
round-antlered deer was liberated at George Sound in 1905.
Crossbreeding with red deer has modified the herd over the years
and purebred wapiti are probably non-existent, but fine trophies
are taken in the balloted ‘bugle’ period. As wapiti
live in the steepest, wettest and most isolated part of the
country, the hunter faces a supreme test of endurance and skill.
Red deer are common throughout Fiordland but are difficult to
track down in the wet conditions especially when the hunter is
under attack from voracious sandflies and commercial venison
recovery helicopters are buzzing overhead. Low lying areas like
the Hollyford Valley and around Lakes Monowai and Hauroko offer
the best opportunities for ground hunters.
Moose were liberated in Dusky Sound in 1910 and around a dozen
were shot over the period to1952. They have never been sighted
since, and are presumed to be extinct. An aura of mystery remains
however, as periodically large hoof prints are spotted and thick
saplings are found broken at a uniform height and stripped of
leaves in a moose-like manner. If you see one shoot with a camera
instead of a rifle - it may be the very last one.
Chamois can be found in very remote northern areas such as the
mid Darran Mountains. Wild pigs are limited to small, localised
populations around the Eglinton River mouth and the Hope Arm of
Lake Manapouri.
Mallard, grey and shoveler ducks are present in low numbers in
the Eglinton Valley along with Canada geese.
Fly-in hunting and ground hunting safaris for wapiti, red deer
and chamois are available at Te Anau, Manapouri, Invercargill and
Bluff.
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