Bendigo Conservation Area
Bendigo Conservation Area is a 1,974-hectare public hunting block in Otago, within the Central Otago and Remarkables permit area. Elevations run from about 878 m up to 1583 m with a median around 1275 m, putting most of the ground in mostly above-the-bushline tops country.
Roughly 75% of the ground sits above the 1,200 m bushline, so the bulk of the block is open tussock and shrubland with bush only on the lower margins. Slopes lean north-facing, which shapes where sun, snow and feeding animals concentrate through the day.
Recorded game on the block includes red deer, fallow deer, wild goat and wild pig. It is mixed bush and edge country with deer, goats and pigs available rather than alpine game. It is inland Central Otago tussock and schist country rather than the bigger glaciated drainages further west.
Open Bendigo Conservation Area on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 6,755 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 878–1,583 m
- Median elevation
- 1,275 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,200–1,373 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 75%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 7%
- Dominant aspect
- north-facing
878–1,583 m, mostly above the bushline, leaning north-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on this block, which gives charter operators a way to put hunters into upper basins and faces that would otherwise mean a long valley walk. Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) is also permitted, meaning commercial helicopters may be working the same country at times — worth factoring into trip timing.
There are no DOC huts or campsites recorded inside the block, so hunters need to base themselves outside the boundary or carry a fly or tent.
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a RHA block in the Central Otago and The Remarkables permit area, with a hunting status of Restricted.
Commercial wild-animal recovery (WARO) operates over this area — expect helicopter activity and pressured game.
This block sits within a DOC air-access zone — fly-in hunting and helicopter drop-offs may be permitted.
Bendigo Conservation Area is a Recreational Hunting Area carrying a Restricted hunt status. A DOC hunting permit is required and access conditions can include party-size limits, dog rules or seasonal closures — read the permit conditions carefully before each trip.
1080 & pesticide status
- Pesticide (1080 or similar) has been laid in or near this block — check current dog and carcass restrictions before you hunt.
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