The East London Tahr Hunting Society: Shelter Hollow Tahr Hunting Tips (2019, high snow line)

Having previously had success hunting Arbor Rift and Bubble Creek, we descended on Shelter Hollow in May of 2019 with high hopes that were quickly brought down to earth when we saw how high the snow line was (about 1800-1900m). This article will hopefully serve as useful to any future hunters in this block, particularly if they encounter similar conditions.

An early morning view up shelter hollow towards the distant snow line

This map shows where bulls were spotted (blue = ridge-line, green = scrub). The coloured routes are explained below

Baffle Ravine (purple route)

From camp our most commonly trodden path was up and down the slip to the north of the creek and onto the animals around Baffle Ravine. There is a heavily used game trail along the top of the slip. If the snow was lower, it's conceivable that you could get onto tahr going in and out of the bush along this trail within ten minutes of camp. That said, a previous hunter appears to have done a dump right ON the game trail, evidenced by non-biodegradable wipes left behind. Asides from being environmentally unthoughtful, it's possible that a massive turd on the doorstep of the animals may have spooked them a little bit. We didn't see any tahr here, but saw and got a couple around Baffle Ravine.

Grant, Pete and Haas glassing distant tahr above Baffle Ravine

Grant headed up Baffle Ravine on the second day and the morning was ruined by a chopper passing overhead just as he reached the tops. No tahr seen on the ridge so Grant spent six hours "staking out" the ridge (sunbathing and snoozing) until animals started moving and coming down the hill. He saw a bull and 2 nannies just on 4pm and got the bull with a 450m shot!

Grant with tahr taken at 450m with 300 Winchester Magnum

Upriver (brown dashed route)

Two of our party separately explored the upriver route and both got so frustrated clambering over icy boulders and having to duck in and out of the bush to get past impassable bits, that they both climbed up Baffle Ravine and came back down the slip rather than face the river route again. Not recommended. Pete took this route on Thursday and got a bull and two nannies.

Grant took this route and saw two nannies in scrub that vanished only to pop out later when he was higher up the creek. Top of Baffle Ravine was very hot and sunny on this day - Grant saw two bulls high up and their five nannies moving down. He hid till they all got to 200m then nailed the bull and three nannies.

Great shot of the Landsborough by Grant from high altitude

Arthur Glacier (red route)

Ascending the forest in the middle of the fork is extremely challenging initially as you bash through the young trees at the fringes (red star on map). Once you're through that the forest reveals a fairly accessible game trail that also sports the odd trail marker. Apart from one dicey part where you have to swing from tree trunks over a part of the track that has slipped away, it's actually quite accessible. Once above the forest you have a view of a massive face full of tahr sign, which is where two scrub bulls were surprised and not shot at. Haas and Mike did a stake-out one evening however no animals came out that time, possibly because of a helicopter that went overhead just as we were getting into the zone.

View south from top of bush above fork, towards Arthur Glacier

Haas in full stake-out mode

View down from the stake-out position.. tahr hunting is not for people who suffer vertigo

Notes on the campsite

The campsite is however very pleasant, with no less than four flat spots amongst the trees where tents can be pitched, and one large flat spot just outside the bush where a large tent can be pitched. There are two stone fireplaces, and the site gets sun for most of the morning. THAT SAID in wet weather it looks like a stream may flow through most of the sites in the forest.