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WAIRARAPA
Special
Feature: Great deer stalking in a boutique mountain range
Hill country sheep stations measuring thousands of hectares in
extent, are spread over the Wairarapa’s rolling
downland.Interspersed with the endless sea of waving grasses, are
pocket-size patches of untouched natural bush and broken coastal
ranges, that are irresistible to wild game animals. To the west
is the continuous barrier of the Ruahine, Tararua and Rimutaka
ranges and along the south coast is a unique miniature version of
a mountain range called the Aorangi Forest Park. This
‘boutique’ range rises to only 900 metres and can be
traversed in a mere four hours, but this belies the ruggedness of
the many short river catchments. The Aorangis are a popular
stamping ground for good keen men from the capital city and the
range presents an enjoyable stalking challenge.
Red deer are present in the Aorangis in reasonable numbers and
are widely spread throughout the Ruahines, Tararuas and
Rimutakas. Intense commercial and recreational hunting pressure
over the years have made the animals ultra cautious. Hunters need
to acquire good local knowledge and ‘bush-bash’ into
dense creek-head vegetation at times to seek out their quarry,
but there is good trophy potential in these ranges.
Wild pigs are generally in localised low populations in marginal
scrubland, particularly in the southern and eastern coastal
ranges. They are not often seen in the main ranges preferring the
dense cover of manuka, gorse, bracken fern and swampland in the
foothills. Finding and holding dogs are essential to track down
wild pigs in these thick native bush areas.
Goats are present in low numbers in the southern Rimutakas and
Aorangis and in small pockets throughout the Wairarapa coastal
bush reserves.
Mallard, grey and shoveler ducks as well as paradise shelducks
are common throughout the region. Lake Wairarapa is an important
breeding ground and is also home to black swans and Canada geese.
Pheasant, brown quail and California quail are found in moderate
numbers in most areas.
Guided hunting for red deer in the Tararuas and coastal ranges is
available in Carterton and in Ongaonga on S.H.50. Hunting on
private game estates for red, fallow and wapiti deer, boars, rams
and goats can be arranged in Masterton and Pahiatua.
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