You may wonder what I mean by “Real New Zealand Hunting”?
New Zealand has become known for its massive Red Stags – however these huge stags all come from estates, which don’t get me wrong, are great hunts. However, for those of you who want the opportunity to really experience all that New Zealand has to offer, you need to explore the myriad free range Red Stag, Tahr, Chamois and Fallow Deer hunting opportunities available.
Real New Zealand Hunting means getting to wild and remote areas of the South Island. New Zealand doesn’t have a hunting season, so when it comes to free range Red Stags you are either going into deep and remote valleys or hunting private land. Either way, you are going to get out and experience so much more of New Zealand than you will when undertaking and estate hunt.
The prime time to do a free range New Zealand Red Stag hunt is during the roar, which typically takes place in March and April. A free range red stag hunt is very much like elk hunting out west. You will find yourself glassing and listening for roars and then working in on a mature stag. So if you like the thrill of chasing elk in the rut, you will love hunting red stag in the roar.
Trophy Quality on these free range Red Stags is excellent, but they are nothing like the Estate Stags you see all over Facebook, Instagram and hunting shows. A true trophy free range Red Stag will have 12-18 points.
If you want to put together a Real New Zealand Hunting experience, you should plan for a 10-14 day adventure, where you will start off in the Northern Part of the South Island hunting Red Stag, then you will drive to the Central part of the Island and fly into some crazy rugged mountains via helicopter to hunt Tahr. After you complete your Tahr hunt, you will transfer to the Southern part of the Island to hunt Chamois. If you want to add on more, then I would encourage you to consider a free range Fallow Deer as well. These Fallow Deer are smart and cagey animals. A mature buck will put your hunting skills to the test.
Additional Activities – Hunt a wild bull (these guys are big, mean and cagey), do some varmint control on the wallaby, experience world class fly fishing for trout, or just enjoy some touring around the Island.
Lodging is customized per hunter preference. We can put you up in 4.5 star lodges, remote cabins, or full blown tented hunting camps. So whatever experience you are looking for we can make it happen.
