Big Bush
Big Bush is a 353-hectare public hunting block in Otago, in the Catlins permit area in southern Otago. Elevations run from about 218 m up to 437 m with a median around 341 m, putting most of the ground in lowland and foothill country.
This is low country well under the bushline — bush, scrub and pasture-edge rather than open tops. Slopes lean east-facing, which influences where animals feed and bed through the day.
Recorded game on the block includes red deer, wild goat and wild pig. It is mixed bush and edge country with deer, goats and pigs available rather than alpine game. The Catlins are coastal podocarp-broadleaf bush country, very different from the high alpine blocks further inland.
Open Big Bush on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 1,228 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 218–437 m
- Median elevation
- 341 m
- Middle 50%
- 301–378 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- east-facing
218–437 m, lowland / foothill country, leaning east-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Helicopter and fixed-wing access is permitted on the block, though for low country like this most hunters drive in and walk from a vehicle. WARO is not permitted on the block, so commercial helicopter shooting is not a factor.
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 Coastal Otago north of the Catlins permit area, with a hunting status of Permitted.
This block sits within a DOC air-access zone — fly-in hunting and helicopter drop-offs may be permitted.
Big Bush is a Recreational Hunting Area (RHA) with a Permitted hunt status. A DOC hunting permit is required through the standard online system, but no ballot applies. RHA permits typically come with specific conditions on dogs, party size or season, so read them carefully.
1080 & pesticide status
No current, planned or proposed pesticide operations intersect this block in our data. Always confirm with DOC before taking a dog in.
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