|
WEST COAST
Special
Feature: Game animals galore in 400 km of rainforest
The West Coast stands out as ‘deer hunter’s
heaven’, with a wild game presence in virtually every patch
of bush in a 400 km coastal strip from Karamea to the Cascade
River.
There are little-known wilderness zones here where you can park
the car and start hunting immediately in the finest lowland beech
forests in the country. Most of the luxuriant green canopy on the
steep slopes of the Southern Alps is untracked. Short,
flood-prone rivers sweep down mercilessly over boulder-strewn
beds and command respect from the hunter, but dense thickets in
the creek heads are a sure refuge for deer.
Red deer predominate and the moderate to high numbers reflect the
difficulty of the terrain and the lack of hunting pressure. Local
DOC offices will provide advice on the best local hunting
prospects. Fallow deer are represented here in the small Totara
Flat colony, hidden away in the wondrous limestone country of the
Paparoa Range between Greymouth and Westport.
Chamois are common on the open tops and in recent years they have
moved down to lower altitudes. From Whataroa south they have
colonised forests at sea level, which seems out of character for
an Austrian mountain goat. Thar are present in low numbers on the
main divide of the Southern Alps from Hokitika south.
Wild pigs are relatively scarce on the Coast but exist in small
localised pockets. Goats are present in low numbers on the craggy
limestone outcrops of the Paparoa Range and along the Buller
River.
The Coast abounds with wetland habitats due to consistent
rainfall and extensive dune lakes and lagoons. Good hunting
opportunities are on offer for mallard, grey and shoveler ducks
as well as Paradise shelducks and Canada geese. Upland game are
present but in much smaller numbers.
Helicopter hunting safaris for red stags, thar and chamois from
Hari Hari to Haast are available at Fox Glacier. Guided high
country hunts for wapiti and red deer, thar and chamois can be
arranged in Hokitika.
|
