Hunting in Bay of Plenty
105 DOC permit areas, 8 huts, 3,425 unformed legal roads — and what each of them means before you go.
What has been recorded here
- Wild turkey 196
- Peafowl 168
- Brushtail possum 155
- Rabbit 95
- Dama wallaby 73
- Red deer 18
- Feral pig 8
- Brown hare 5
- Feral goat 5
- Fallow deer 5
- Parma wallaby 3
- Sambar deer 1
Most of these are logged by the public rather than by hunters, so a cluster is a real sign the animal is about and out where it can be seen — it is not a record of where people hunt. But records follow tracks, roads and campsites, so empty country usually means nobody has walked it with a phone rather than that there is nothing there. Presence, not density.
Occurrence data from GBIF.org.
Where you can hunt
DOC files 105 hunting permit areas in Bay of Plenty. Public conservation land needs a permit, and each area carries its own conditions and closures — which are DOC’s to set and worth reading for the block you pick.
3,425 unformed legal roads run through the region — public roads that were surveyed and never built. Many cross private farmland, and you may pass along one without asking anybody, though the paddocks either side stay private.
Open the map Make a hunt plan Fishing access in Bay of Plenty
Balloted and restricted blocks here
- Kaingaroa and Rotoehu forestsBy permit Hunting, fishing and game birds · run by First Security
- Te UreweraBy permit Deer, pigs and goats · run by Tūhoe
- Rayonier Matariki ForestsBy permit Forest access · run by Matariki
1080 in Bay of Plenty right now
3 DOC operations are in their caution period in Bay of Plenty. Baits and carcasses can still kill a dog, and the caution period is the recorded minimum rather than an all-clear.
- Rotoehu NPCP Rat and Possum Control 2026 caution to 2027-07-31
- Rotoehu NPCP Rat and Possum Control 2026 caution to 2027-06-09
- Te Kopia Possum and Wallaby Control 25_26 caution to 2027-02-28
Every recorded operation, and what it means for dogs
Shows operations recorded by DOC from March 2022 onward. This is not a statement that 1080 is or is not present now. Always follow on-site warning signs and check DOC for the authoritative position.
Huts
8 across 1 parks and conservation areas. 5 you can simply turn up at, and 2 of those have a fire.
Hut locations and facilities: Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0), via the DOC open data hub.
Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park8 huts
- Daly's Clearing HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- Hurunui HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- Kauritatahi HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- Mangamuka HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Motutapere HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Rereatukahia Hut Book aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Whare OkiokiBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Waitawheta HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
Before you walk in
This is a snapshot of DOC’s hut dataset, not a live feed — DOC last refreshed it in April 2026 and has flagged it for replacement. Huts close, burn down, get booked out and get alerts put on them. Before you commit to sleeping in one, open its DOC page and check.
“Turn up” means first come, first served — carry a Backcountry Hut Pass or tickets, and expect company. The rules about firearms and carcasses near huts are the same everywhere and worth reading once.
Asking for private land
Most of Bay of Plenty is somebody’s farm, and that is where the animals a landowner wants fewer of usually are. Find the block on the map and we work out the postal address without ever showing you who owns it; you print one page, they scan the code and answer.