Burke - Wills hunting

Description

The Burke and Wills valleys are the main catchments of the upper Haast Valley in Mt Aspiring National Park, the Burke lies to the west and the Wills to the east of SH6 near the Gates of Haast. The area is approached on SH6 from either Haast or Wanaka, or by helicopter.

Hunting ballots

There are two balloted upper valley roar blocks between March and April in the Burke Valley. These two blocks are:

• Block 49 – Upper Burke
• Block 50 – Lower Burke

The Wills Valley is an open block.

More information and how to apply for the roar ballot.

Access

Access to the area is from SH6 with a walking track to the Wills Valley leaving the highway on the northeast side of the Gates of Haast bridge.

The Burke Valley is usually only accessed by helicopter. There is a designated landing site in the Lower Burke and another at Howe Creek. There is a grass airstrip at Burke Flat (beside SH6) but the Wills Valley airstrip is unusable at present as a result of a slip.

Helicopter

Helicopter Landings into Mount Aspiring National Park are permitted by DOC approved aircraft concessionaires only.

Landholders

There is no need to cross any pastoral lease or privately owned land to access this area.

Maps

NZTopo50 BY12, BY13, BZ12, BZ13

Huts

• Wills Hut – around 4 hours walk from the Gates of Haast.

Hunting

Red deer can be found throughout the area at any time of the year however spring hunting on the grass flats and the roar is most popular.

Chamois are found throughout in low numbers.

Tahr can be encountered in higher altitude areas in the Wills Valley.

Hares are found throughout.

Know before you go

Check for current pesticide operations that may be in progress where you intend to hunt using the pesticide summary map West Coast pesticide map.

The use of shotguns, shotgun-rifle combos, .22 calibre and rim-fire firearms is prohibited on public conservation land unless stated otherwise.