I am doing a hunt next year with Liethen Valley
Outfitters. Might be spelled wrong.

I am doing a Stag and a Tar Hunt. Any advice on the Tar ,What to look for ,What can I expect.

if this is a free range hunt, then expect a lot of climbing and glassing.

I hunted water buffalo with "George" of Conways Cattle station last year. The family owns Leithen Valley Trophy hunts.

Their website:

http://www.leithenvalley.co.nz/

Good luck with your tahr hunt.

John Hahn

Be fit as Tahr live in the alps,you will want a good flat shooting rifle 270,7mm mag 300 mag

Do you have any real mountains in your area ? Not woosey hills-real mountains ? If so , get all the gear needed to climb those mountains in winter , and then go climb then every week untill your trip.

By climbing I mean scaling steep slopes , tracking across shingle slides , climbing in snow and most importantly walking across slopes for hours on end . Do not use the hiker trails , tahr dont live on hiker trails - they live up there....you need to get up there with them.

Your ankles will need to be real strong for sidling across hillsides and climbing very steep slopes . Hence my suggestion that you climb real mountains every week untill you leave for your hunt .Do not under estimate how strong your ankles will need to be !!! More than one US hunter has abandoned a tahr hunt because his ankles couldnt handle the hills.

You need to be mountain-fit , not climb-to-the-top-of-that-small-hill fit , or walk-along-the-beach fit.

And then you need to practice your marksmanship at long ranges - 400 metres is not an uncommon shot on tahr or chamois. And bring the same ammo you have practised with - pointless sighting in for one batch and then using another on the day. Guides have little tolerance for that type of behaviour .

Apart from that , have a good time , I'm sure you will enjoy the hunt.

Nitrox,

I have met George and his sister they both guide. My best fried has been booking for them for years. Iam supposted to do both hunts ,but don't know yet. NZ and Austaila Thanks for the
advise.

muzza, I guess I am dead as I leave in 3 weeks for the south island for Tahr. I live in Pa next to Md where blaser93 lives and our elevation is under 1500 feet and we only have what you call woodsey hills. I just had a friend come back from taking his Tahr and he also lives in southern Pa. Maybe the guide carries us old out of shape hunters who try as they may just can't get into Alps Mt climbing shape.

Then you have three weeks to get as fit as you can!!!!!

I am serious about the ankle thing . Mountain hunting is about scrambling up , down and across steep country and if your ankles crap out on you after one day you wont be doing much hunting ...

At the very least you need to just get fitter than you are already , its the best you can do in the short time available.

But have a good trip anyway , despite all the above .

I worked for them in 2001.. You cannot ask for better people. I consider them my family down under...
When ya meet George or Allen, ask them to tell ya the story of when George saved my life after I had the climbing accident while we were Chamois hunting. I owe him BIG TIME..

I've heard that story and it didn't sound nice. George was quite young then if I remember correctly.

Gidday Guys,

What muzza says is correct. Get as fit as you can if you don't have 4000+' hills around. You will need aerobic fitness and strength in your legs.

If you have good alpine boots that provide adequate ankle support (meindl makalu pros or le sportiva Himalayas) that are properly broken in you will be in a much better state at the end of the day.

Be ready to do ALOT of climbing.

I can guarantee one thing, you will certaqinly have a memorable trip no matter haw succesful the hunt. You will discover why they call this place Gods Own country.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

Stopped in and had a cuppa with Sue (Alan's wife) 2 weeks ago when my wife and I were Tahr hunting. Very nice lady. Our outfitter is friends with them and spoke highly of them.
Muzza speaks the truth. I hunt bighorn here at home in Alberta and it is beginner training for tahr. The frigging snow and tussock grass up to my shoulders made the hiking unbelieably tough.

Do tahr hunters still climb up from the bottom or generally catch a chopper to the tops and work around the slopes and gullies from there?

An NZer outfitter I discussed it with once, told me he choppers up small transportable cabins to the hunting areas, and they hunted from them. Still lots of climbing up and down no doubt.

How you get there depends on your budget John.

If you are wealthy and happy to pay then the chopper will get you on the ground without the climb , but you still have to climb/sidle/position yourself appropriatley for the shot . Tahr arent stupid - helicopter noise means danger so you wont step out of the chopper and see your target fifty yards away....

If you climb than you have the advantage of being able to spot animals as you climb , and can plan your ascent as required .

Even if you fly in the terrain is tough and not for the unfit .....

I've planned a guided tahr hunt for June/July 2007 (assuming I'm still in NZ). No helicopters for me. I don't have a problem with choppers, but I want to experience the Southern Alps as much as possible.

A helicopter ride surely would make things much easier and save a good amount of time, but a little hard work makes the hunt more rewarding.

You don't make sound like much fun Muzza.

Not much fun for being honest ?

If a guy is going to fly here and pay to hunt in the Alps he should at least be in the best physical shape possible , just to be fair to himself , let alone his guide or those who potentially have to rescue him.....

I dont want to see guys dissappointed because their own fitness let them down when it was avoidable.If thats not much fun then so be it .

BTTT

Compare this threads comments to some of the current ones.

Especially about the need to be fit.