Lochnagar
Lochnagar is a 10,802-hectare public hunting block in Otago, within the Cardrona / Glenorchy / Shotover permit area. Elevations run from about 1106 m up to 2490 m with a median around 1702 m, putting most of the ground in predominantly alpine country.
Around 73% of the country sits above the 1,500 m alpine line, so expect snow tussock, rock and exposed faces through the upper guts. Slopes lean south-facing, which shapes where sun, snow and feeding animals concentrate through the day.
Recorded game on the block includes red deer, chamois and wild goat. Reds work the bush and lower sidles while chamois sit higher on the open faces and tops. It is in the steep glaciated country around the head of Lake Wakatipu and the Cardrona / Shotover divide.
Open Lochnagar on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 36,358 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 1,106–2,490 m
- Median elevation
- 1,702 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,483–1,919 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 100%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 73%
- Dominant aspect
- south-facing
1,106–2,490 m, predominantly alpine, leaning south-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 Ordinary block in the Cardrona/Glenorchy/Shotover permit area, with a hunting status of Permitted.
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.
A DOC hunting permit is required for Lochnagar. The block is an Ordinary block with a Permitted hunt status, so permits are issued through the standard online system rather than a ballot. Permits are free but must be carried while hunting.
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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