This is a partially duplicate posting because several people asked that I do a show and tell after returning.

Two of us went to NZ for stag/tahr. were looking for a fair chase wild hunt. Due to a family farm invitation, we were able to access some pretty good habitat with plenty of tahr. this made up for the first three days, where America West Airlines lost one of three luggage bags, with hunting gear of course. then it rained (poured) with wave after wave of 200mm rainshowers and gale force winds. we were washed out of any hope to access high country for stag and chamois. Even a helicopter drop camp was out of question because pilots dont fly in high winds even if it werent raining we were winded out.

So we went to plan B: move to higher ground more inland, and drier it was. for a day. Got our lost baggage three days late, then headed uphill.

Got great reception, found a local shepherd/hunter that offered to assist and he proved to be the best combination of able, willing, and personable. I left him my Leica 800 rangefinder, and me and my hunting partner made a deal possible for the purchase of a new Swarovski spotting scope.
The NZ culture toward tipping is different than the hands-always-out-Americans. They dont want to accept tips in NZ, but we werent paying for a guide, so it worked out well for all involved.

got to South Island after the long flight. Did a farm visit for wild free range stag, but got rained out, so went straight to the high country.
stayed in the hut shown.

Note that the blue sky is the only clear day of 14 in country. all the rest were rainy, windy, or both. The clear day had winds of 20-40 mph. I held 18 inches into the wind to hit my tahr at 450 yards.




Then it was glass, glass glass for the right animals. the country is steep, as shown on the picture; There were a few Tahr in the cliffs shown to right of photo. a VERY nice whitemaner in the big canyon in the middle (called a "GUT" by the locals). There was no way to approach them. so we kept looking. Even though there is not deep forest, the Matacauri (sp) thornplant provides good cover, and the cliffs have enough relief so that an animal comes and goes from view quickly. The bulls are territorial. We saw several go about marking their territory with their head glands, rubbing on brush, as they collected nannies for the harem.

If you chase Tahr, look for bulls with big mob of nannies. the lesser bulls could hold 3-4, and the immature bulls were just SOL. The whitemaners, with white flanks and good horns, had as many as a dozen, although we were still early in the mating season.






Do the steep climb, after finding the right animal in a place accessible. Many of hte bulls we saw were rather unapproachable, due to their preference for impossible steep narrow chutes and cliffs where they could see down, but we could not get behind or above them. I went up to the top of the draw, from behind, the tahr were at snowline shown on the photo. More specifically, the tahr were just above the shaded snow, in the sunny area, course both the shadow lines and the tahr had moved during the 2 1/2 hours it took to make the stalk.



Then, after several hours steep walk, a few resting moments, and 2500 feet vertical, we were above snow line, where the big ones hang out.



After making our way to a good vantage point, the shooting started. and got this nice 12 7/8 inch bull.



Over 50 tahr vacated these chutes when the shooting started, and it was not possible to get the grandaddy we went up after. no complaints though, because this one at 410 yards for the first shot, and 450 for the final kill shot, presented enough challenge. All total, we were able to make a very succesful hunt without helicopters, and we earned our trophies. These tahr are not fragile. I placed three nosler 140 grain partitions into the shoulder of one and it still did not expire quickly. Another one took one into the base of the neck spine (shot from above) that dropped it in its tracks, but it took two more shots to end its movements, even after the 15 minutes it took to scale the narrow cliff to approach it. The nosler, at 3200 fps in my 280AI did not exit the animals.

Even after killing two bulls, there were curious tahr sticking their heads over the skyline and whistling and watching us. sorry the other pictures did not come out.
Then the walk out just before dark. steep but elated downhill for three four miles.





Thanks to outdoor writer (tony) for making this so the links are automatic.

Jameister

Nice job. -TONY

Glad you had a good time mate. Its great looking country.

Great report and a well earned trophy!

Milosmate

It looks like you had a fantastic trip. I will have to do it myself one day.

All the best.

Aussie Frank

In Sunny Queensland

Great hunt. Looks like you had fun and stretched the leg muscles too. Those mountains look too damned high for me. Nice tahr trophy too. You must be proud of it.


PS Did you find Frodo and Sam up there anywhere?

Jamie,

Couple of quick questions.

I saw where you mentiond AWA lost one of your bags. I assume that was enroute from PHX to LA, right? I'm also taking AWA from here, so I cringe reading about lost bags.

Now, what airline did you fly from LAX to PHX, and did you check your bags straight thru or get them in LAX and transfer on your own? We're flying with ANZ from LAX.

Also, where did you clear NZ customs -- Auckland? Did you have to recheck bags for the flight to CC.

My idea is to have my bags checked clear thru from here to CC, but I'm not sure I can do it. So I guess I'm asking you to tell me the whole baggage procedure from PHX to CC so I know what to expect at each stop. Thanks. -TONY

Congratulations, looks like a real test of endurance! Wonderful looking trophy you got there.

Tony

you should be able to check your bags right through to Christchurch , as long as you dont have a stop-over in Auckland on the way through . I am pretty sure that your flight will be direct , although it may land in Akl first , then carry on - you will be a transit passenger rather than enter NZ in Akl.

Air New Zealand has a pretty fair reputation for not losing bags , so you should be ok .

Okay, let me ask for some clarification then. My initial flight goes into Auckland and I'm there about two hours before the flight to CC leaves. BUT...I'm not sure if we have to change planes in Aukl or not. The flight # does change, however.



So I guess the question is do I check through customs in Auck or in CC?



As for losing bags, it's AWA I'm more concerned with. What I don't want to happen is have me go to NZ and my bags vacation in Bangaldesh or somewhere. -TONY



Adding this after the fact:



Just got off the phone with ANZ. I can only check the bags as far as Auckland because I have to go through customs at the first international arrival point. Then we have to go from the international terminal to the domestic terminal by bus. Oyvey! -TONY

Well , you and your bags will reunite in Akl then.
The Domestic Terminal is an easy fifteen minute walk/baggage cart push from the International Terminal , and you will need some fresh air by then anyway . Unless you have a hold up in Customs you will have heaps of time to get over to the Domestic Terminal.

And anyway , if your bags go to a different country , what can you do about it anyway ? Hope it doesnt happen and look forward to the trip .

Mate , this is what makes international travel such a rewarding experience...

Oh, so the Int. terminal isn't that far then. Great. Give me a chance to smoke a pack of cigarettes. (g)

We basically had to do the same thing last year on arrival in Joberg when we hunted in South Africa and i'll have the same gun case and luggage on this trip.

Thanks. -TONY

Tony: in order. I think

Anericas Worst Airlines hassled us at the counter. the Bitc.. sorry, the redheaded fat girl (nicest thing I can say about her) at the skycap service checkin counter told us: our bags were overweight (they were right at 70 pounds each) they were too big (new rule she said is 64 inches total length plus width plus depth has to be less than 64 inches) what a joke, since no pair of skis or surfboard would ever fit that). then she hassled me about thinking of the poor baggage handlers that have to lift the 70 pound bags.... it was then that 3 of 4 of our bags had to get the long-form full search, and the 4th bag, that went straight onto the belt, is the one that had the tag "fall off" and then they called us two days later wondering where it was to go to.... course we werent at the home number cause we were in NZ already. watch the tag go on the bag on the belt.

regards destination: We could only tag to Auckland. pick them off the belt and go through customs. Take an export rifle permit form with you that has all the identificationadn serial numbers on it. cost is $25NZ at airport to get your NZ import firearm permit (no handguns!!).

Then pick up your stuff, take the free cart to the curb and take the shuttle bus to domestic terminal from international terminal. we walked the half mile in the rain.

We missed our CC connection because we were searching for lost bag, and rifle paperwork, and lost baggage forms, etc.

No problem, lots of planes from auck to CC.

What you need to know: local planes allow 20 kilo baggage, then its $5.00 per Kilo for excess baggage. Make it clear you have international connection to qualify for the 32 kilo for each of two bags or you will get skinned for $150 dollars in excess baggage.

Even your carryon (which I put my optics and rangefinder and GPS units into) is limited to 5Kilos. regardless of size. We gate checked our carryons, which means we carry them to and from the plane, but they go into the hold.

You willneed to talk to the police (next to customs) in teh airport in NZ. less than 5 kg of ammo per person.

You will have to make sure your return baggage is booked to your final destination (CC to PHX all the way) to avoid a painful haul and carry in LAX. We were able to check all the way through on our return.

Lastly, I think you CAN check all the way to CC, just use the inter-flight belt to place your baggage after customs, with out lugging it all the way from international terminal to domestic termina. Worth a call to the airport before you get to the counter because they dont know their own rules at the counter. and certainly Americas Worst does not have any clue whatsoever regarding Auckland New Zealand customs protocols.

PS, if I sound bitter, its because our skycap told her we were overweight, and I think they get paid comission on the surcharge for excess baggage. I heard him tell the redbit.. the lady, that we were likely to be over. That makes twice I have been stiffed by America West, due to antihunting or at least antigun sentiment. Paranoia? yes, for reason. and we reduced his tip from a ten to a five because of it. Those guys are doing you no favor. next time I will use a cart.

Guys , the 5 Kilos of ammo per person is an IATA ( International Air Travel Assn or some such ) ruling , nothing to do with the New Zealand Police or our rules . But hey , five kilos is 12 lb and that is a fair few rounds of hunting ammo , so that shouldnt pose any problems . There are no restrictions on hunting ammo quantities beyond what is a realistic amount . If you try bringing in commercial amounts you will need an import permit and pay duty on it .

take the shuttle if it is raining , which isnt uncommon for the time of year . If it is not raining , the fresh air is great and the exercise will do you good .

Other than that , most of the rest has been well covered .

Good luck , once again .

Jamie,



It sounds like you had a real adventure with AWA, and because of your message, I made several calls today to reservations clerks and their supervisors to get a consensus of what to expect. As a result, I got a jumble of different input.



Sooo...I decided to pull some strings and called AWA's Media Relations Department and get this settled once and for all. It worked out great. As soon as I said I was a writer, MR got the Quality Control folks involved and we had a 3-way conversation.



My reservation in the computer is now noted with various orders such as to check my bags thru to Auckland and allow up to 70 lbs per checked bag, as well as wave my Tuffpak thru even though it exceeds 62". They also told me to check in directly at the international flight counter at Sky Harbor rather than a domestic one.



I guess now all I need to worry about is whether the chubby redhead behind the check-in counter can read the computer screen.



So again, thanks for answering my questions because your input caused me to get all the ducks lined up properly. -TONY