Tahr control
There are a number of areas where tahr populations need to be reduced to minimise effects on the environment

General information
Updates and changes for Tahr Ballot.
Please read the DOC webpage for updates.

Applications will only be accepted through the new online application form.
Applications open and close from the dates specified.
A one-off non-refundable fee of $60 will be charged for each application regardless of whether the applicant is successful or not.
All correspondence for the tahr ballot must be sent to haasthuntingballot@doc.govt.nz.
Additional aerial access for recreational hunters
Recreational tahr hunting is also one of the primary means of tahr control for most of these areas.

In the ballot, recreational hunters will have some managed aerial access into the Hooker / Landsborough and Adams Wilderness Areas made available under the terms of the ‘Himalayan Thar Control Plan’, approved by the Minister of Conservation in 1993. This reflects the identification in the plan of recreational tahr hunting as one of the primary controls for tahr in particular areas.

Managed aerial access is being provided to position recreational hunters and will be for a limited period of April to July. This period was selected to limit effects on other wilderness users and to coincide with the tahr rut and the period when skins are at their best.

Recreational hunters are being given this access to help reduce tahr densities to the target levels set in the tahr control plan. While hunters' chief objective may be trophy bulls, the Department encourages all hunters to remove nannies and juveniles in the process, and to reduce group sizes to less than five animals.

Look after your opportunity
Aerial access to these areas is a privilege. Future access is reviewed annually and will depend on the way all parties involved co-operate to achieve the plan’s tahr density objectives. Access must be managed to minimise effects on the wilderness values that these areas have been set aside to protect. Effects on these values will take longer to determine.

Post-season inspections often locate hidden rubbish such as burnt tins, plastic, string, and poorly rehabilitated campsites. It is good to see an increasing number of sites are being left clean and tidy with minimum impact, as this is the key to continued hunting access.

Landing and hunting
Aerial operators are issued permits to fly hunters into these areas. Minimising human impact is a condition written into the landing and hunting permits. Department of Conservation staff inspect areas at the end of the hunting period to check that aerial operators and hunters have complied with permit conditions.

Landing sites are in areas within walking distance of tahr herds and often have reasonably sheltered campsites nearby. At some sites poor weather could prevent aircraft access. Careful planning and weather forecasting is essential. Ensure you have sufficient supplies to cope with delayed pickups. Although the designated landing sites are the only sites where parties may land (some sites have two options), hunters can also walk from these landing sites to their own chosen campsite if they wish. Hunters should be aware of natural hazards such as dead overhanging trees when selecting their campsite. There will be kea at some sites; do not feed kea, and ensure campsites are kept as tidy as possible so as not to attract their attention.

Tahr prefer to inhabit a formidable environment and hunters must be physically and mentally prepared for this. Normal tahr range in summer is from 800 to 2,200 metres; they often seek lower altitude scrub and bluffs during winter. They are usually found on or near steep rocky bluffs. Tahr usually set out to feed in the late afternoon, returning to cover the following morning. Hunting pressure may determine how urgently and how soon after daybreak they do this. Rifles with suitable calibre for shooting at long range are advised, along with good binoculars and spotting scopes.

Aerial operators
The right to fly recreational hunters into these sites will be issued to approved operators. A list of these operators will be sent with your hunting permit. Hunters are free to select a servicing operator from this list. Operators not appearing on the list may not be used.

Aerial-assisted trophy hunting using a helicopter will be permitted in the Wilderness Areas during part of the ballot period. Apart from this, no helicopter wild-animal carcass or live recovery for deer, chamois or tahr is allowed during the ballot period in the Wilderness Areas. If you see any of this happening, record as much information as possible including helicopter registration (numbers and letters displayed on the machine) photos or video footage, and report this to the nearest Department of Conservation office as soon as possible so there can be an investigation.

Check-In Time

Between 2:00 pm and 10:00 pm

Check-Out Time

10:00 am

Reception Hours

8am - 6pm