William King Scenic Reserve
William King Scenic Reserve is a 546 ha Balloted Roar block in the Catlins permit area, on the southern Otago coast. Elevations run from 4 m at the coast to 222 m on the inland faces, with a median of 95 m — sea-level coastal country with no bushline.
This is classic Catlins coastal forest, leaning south — dense podocarp-broadleaf bush across short ridges and stream gullies. Country is small and stalks are close-range. Salt-air weather and on-shore conditions come with the territory.
Game on the permit is red deer, wild goat and wild pig. The Catlins reds in mature coastal bush carry the reputation for solid heads, and a balloted roar block of this size gives a party the country largely to themselves.
Open William King Scenic Reserve on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 1,837 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 4–222 m
- Median elevation
- 95 m
- Middle 50%
- 48–158 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- south-facing
4–222 m, lowland / foothill country, leaning south-facing.
What you can hunt here
This is a balloted roar block — 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 William King. Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are not permitted on this block.
There are no DOC huts or campsites recorded inside the block — plan for a day trip or short fly-camp using local accommodation.
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Balloted Roar block block in 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.
A DOC hunting permit is required, and William King Scenic Reserve is a Balloted Roar block in the Catlins permit area. The block is balloted for the roar — apply through DOC's standard roar ballot before the annual cutoff. Scenic reserve status may bring additional access conditions; confirm with DOC before planning a trip.
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.
Get roar & 1080 alerts for the areas you hunt
We'll email you when pesticide operations, ballot dates or access conditions change for Otago.
Sign up →