Lower Young
Lower Young is a 1,701-hectare public hunting block in Otago, within the Mount Aspiring National Park east-of-divide permit area. Elevations run from about 318 m up to 1745 m with a median around 718 m, putting most of the ground in a mix of bush and tops.
Around 18% of the block pushes above the 1,200 m bushline, giving hunters a useful mix of beech or scrub edges and open tops to glass. Slopes lean south-facing, which shapes where sun, snow and feeding animals concentrate through the day.
Recorded game on the block includes red deer, tahr and chamois. That gives hunters three quarry species — bush-edge and lower faces for reds, the higher tops and rocky basins for tahr and chamois. It sits on the east-of-divide side of the park, classic alpine head-water country with steep bush bottoms and high glacier-cut basins.
Open Lower Young on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 5,660 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 318–1,745 m
- Median elevation
- 718 m
- Middle 50%
- 463–1,066 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 18%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 4%
- Dominant aspect
- south-facing
318–1,745 m, a mix of bush and tops, leaning south-facing.
What you can hunt here
This is a roar — the red deer roar peaks from late March into April, and competition for the block is highest then.
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on the block, useful where ground travel through bush or rough country would otherwise be slow. 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 Roar block in the Mount Aspiring National Park east of divide 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.
Lower Young is classified as a Roar block under the Mount Aspiring National Park east of divide permit area, with a Permitted hunt status. A DOC hunting permit is required but no ballot applies — apply through the standard online system. Expect more pressure through the roar window in late March and April.
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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