The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Australian and New Zealand Hunting Suggestions for NZ hunts? Apr / May 2015Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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| One of Us |
So I am looking for hunt for spring (for us here in USA) of 2015. Always wanted to go to New Zealand. I'm thinking maybe late April, May, or June. What would be your suggestions for a top notch hunt during this time? Things to note. only interested in free range hunts. I'm fairly young and wouldn't mind some tougher mountain hunting. Tahr is the main thing that comes to mind. Would like to take my old man (63) along and maybe let him take a crack at a critter or two. Maybe red stag? From what I hear NZ is beautiful, so might be one to take my mom along as well. I think it might be one of those places she'd enjoy to see. Open to all suggestions. Thank you | ||
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Holy crap Bobby, you gunning for son of the year?  I have nothing to tell you but some of the Kiwi's will chime in soon and give you some good advice.------------------------------ A mate of mine has just told me he's shagging his girlfriend and her twin. I said "How can you tell them apart?" He said "Her brother's got a moustache!" | |||
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April and May would be my pick,June can be quite wet. Game Birds all open first weekend of May. Red deer rut in April "From what I hear NZ is beautiful" parts of the south island are,north island not so much. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Sir Winston Churchill | |||
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| One of Us |
The last time we went to NZ we hunted with Mike and Deb Wilkes at South Pacific Safaris, my wife and I both got really nice stags (late April), a fallow deer and shot several feral goats. After the hunt we rented a car and drove around the island for about 5 days...really a beautiful country full of nice people. Karl Karl Evans | |||
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Thanks  just trying to repay the parents for a job well done. Plus I get just as much out of it as they do.I think most of the hunting is done on the south island anyways right? Seems like May would be perfect. Just hoping you can hunt Tahr and Stag at the same time. Maybe even get in some ocean fishing? I'll research outfitters. If anyone has suggestions that would be great. trying to stick with free range, but private property is ok. No helicopters, unless its for a sight seeing tour | |||
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Bobby, I'm heading there in mid-May with my wife. I'm hunting both red stag and tahr. Mid-May is when the tahr are supposed to be in the best form with the longest manes. PM me if you want the outfitters name, he came recommended from a number of friends that also hunted with him. I'm not sure about free range options, but you could inquire. I'll give you some more feedback when I return from the hunt. | |||
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One of Us |
April-May is the traditional deer mating season and main hunting season. Tahr can be hunted at the same time although they probably wont have the full winter coat then as it is just the start of winter. For a big , full-cape tahr you need to be hunting in July or August - and the red deer prime-time is gone then. It will be a compromise , but certainly both species is acheivable . Fallow deer are in the rut in may still , so thats a possibility too. Gerald Telford who posts here as Highlander is a hunting guide with good results and a good reputation , but there are many others as well. I would suggest that you ask about the use of helcopters for anything other than getting you up ont the mountain to hunt . Some NZ operators have no qualms about chasing tahr with a chopper until the animal is exhausted , and then even shooting from the chopper . If you want to raise the ire of the hunting fraternity here just post a report on your hunt and mention that you shot your tahr from the chopper... Many of the hunting operators offer "free-range" hunts that are actually farm raised stags that have just been released into a large paddock. Ask if this is the case or if the deer you will hunt is actually a truly wild deer in an unfenced area. Both types of hunting are available - those red stags you see with mega points on thier antlers are NOT wild deer.... Ask lots of questions - someone will give an answer pretty smartly . ________________________ Old enough to know better | |||
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Your going to have to compromise. Unless your Dad is an athlete: true fair chase in NZ, tough mountain hunt and wild Tahr probably won't come together for you. A really good Red stag will have some kind of management involved. It can range from pen raised to simple habitat modification. Trophy fee is often an indicator. The place is so spectacular that you may want to spend more time with your dad and less time huffing up some crag in the middle of no where. You can try emailing the taxidermy and gun shops in NZ with your requirements. Some may email back to you with a whole range of price options/suggestions. In your search you will get everything from uber expensive SCI type of outfitters, to (with a bit of luck) a local prepared to take you out for a small fee. | |||
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| One of Us |
Thanks for the info guys. This is the exact type of stuff I want to hear. Just tell me exactly like it is. I'm OK with compromise. might as well start with my "perfect scenario" wish list and work my way from there. I know enough about NZ to know that I don't want to chase anything with a chopper. I'm thinking maybe I can send my mom and dad off while I chase the tahr, then we can focus on a stag for him. Just thinking out loud for now. I'll keep researching. | |||
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thank you for this info. Telford is actually already on my short list. Didn't know that he posted here. I plan on reaching out to him soon. | |||
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| Moderator |
Don't forget the fishing in NZ either mate. Both salt and fresh water. ------------------------------ A mate of mine has just told me he's shagging his girlfriend and her twin. I said "How can you tell them apart?" He said "Her brother's got a moustache!" | |||
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Ok thats on the list too!  | |||
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There is plenty of hunting in the North Island. Firstly you need to decide if you want free range hunting or hunting behind fence. All the big trophy stags you see are mostly shot on big farms / stations with mixture of bush and open farm land. Some may be true wild stags but most are not! Most free range hunting for Red & Sika stag can be very tough hunting in steep, thick terrain. Trophy quality is not great. Most locals hunt for meat & some real hardened experts do hunt for trophies and are quite successful. You can hunt fallow deer on private property near Wanganui in the North Island. Plenty of hunting around Lake Taupo - with some good trout fishing too. You get great sea fishing in the Bay of Plenty - 2 hours north of Lake Taupo. If you are in the South Island you might want to check out Goose shooting near Hamner Springs. Good red deer hunting there too. Good luck & I hope you and your family have a great time. Don't forget to to try our wines! "When the wind stops....start rowing. When the wind starts, get the sail up quick." | |||
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Congratulations bobby for that way of thinking too. Posts: 87 | Location: Victoria Australia | Registered: 07 September 2002 | |||
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check with peter chamberlain and kiwi wilderness safaris. | |||
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I am headed here in 2 weeks with Gerald Telford and Kuranui. Will post a report. | |||
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I hunted with Gerald almost 20 years ago! You will have a good time. His family is very well connected in the area and that makes a BIG difference. If you have a free afternoon ask him to take you hare & rabbit shooting in the river flats - great fun! Great Central Otago wines too! Good luck. "When the wind stops....start rowing. When the wind starts, get the sail up quick." | |||
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| One of Us |
Bobby, have a chat to Chris McCarthy at Lake Hawea Hunting Safaris. He specializes in free range hunts, with varying levels of difficulty, and has other options (not helihunting) available if required. I think he could meet your requirements for both you and your dad. Expect a couple of days delay in contacting Chris (or any NZ guide for that matter) as he will most likely be in the bush with clients. | |||
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| one of us |
Chris McCarthy Lake Hawea Hunting Safaris http://www.hawea-hunting.co.nz/ Gerald Telford http://flyfishhunt.co.nz Both are straight up guys and you will have a great hunt with either. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Sir Winston Churchill | |||
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I've already contacted both! Thanks fellas | |||
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Two more thumbs up for Gerald and Sue Telford. Gerald is one of the hardest working most enjoyable guys you will ever hunt with. Here's our report of our hunt with him http://forums.accuratereloadin...251045551#2251045551 | |||
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There seems to be some impossible heads on that sites gallery. Posts: 87 | Location: Victoria Australia | Registered: 07 September 2002 | |||
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If you mean Telfords they do both free-range and fenced stag. We hunted free-range with him. | |||
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Yes I did see that there is a fenced area ..obviously by the abnormal (for wild) heads. I wasnt condemning anyone just answering bobby. Posts: 87 | Location: Victoria Australia | Registered: 07 September 2002 | |||
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I think the image links in the report are broken - dont seem to work. A day spent in the bush is a day added to your life Hunt Australia - Website Hunt Australia - Facebook Hunt Australia - TV | |||
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might be a time-frame thing on the images - maybe expired in the hosting program? seen it before on older posts. ________________________ Old enough to know better | |||
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Weird Here's a few pics from the trip.    | |||
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Just returned from a South Island hunt with Kiwi Safaris. I don't think I could have had a better hunt. They took good care of us and put us on some really nice animals, all open range. I highly recommend these guys. | |||
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| One of Us |
I'm in the airport returning from a hunt with Kiwi Wilderness Safaris. Had a great time. Rained out one day and still got red stag, tahr and fallow deer in 4 days. One of my best days of hunting ever was when we got my tahr. Pinned down for 3 1/2 hrs with tahr all around us. Had a 4 1/2 yr old bull come so close so long I finally hit him with a pebble to try and get him to move on! At one point had at least 8 tahr within 60 yards of us. Peter will do whatever type of hunt that you want. Another great feature is that he will prepare the trophies so you can take the with you and not have to ship them later. Great service and a great hunt. Bruce | |||
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| Moderator |
Well don't be shy gents. Post some pictures ------------------------------ A mate of mine has just told me he's shagging his girlfriend and her twin. I said "How can you tell them apart?" He said "Her brother's got a moustache!" | |||
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| One of Us |
G'Day Fella's, Sheep Hunter, well done and some great heads there! Yes, NZ is as the song goes "A Slice of Heaven"!!! So much so, I'm currently lookin at real estate over there (Sth Is) Doh! Homer Lick the Lolly Pop of Mediocrity Just Once and You Will Suck For Life! | |||
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Wow, his wilderness tahr hunt looks like exactly the kind of hunt I'm looking for. Thanks! Brian Clark Blue Skies Hunting Adventures www.blueskieshunting.com Email at: info@blueskieshunting.com African Cape Trophy Safaris www.africancapesafaris.com Email at: brian@africancapesafaris.com 1-402-689-2024 | |||
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| One of Us |
Gerald Telford has an exceptional wild area for tahr. We saw plenty but most were in tough places. It is a great sheep hunt and I would do again in minute. | |||
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| One of Us |
Those climbs for tahr can be far worse than the average climb in North American sheep hunts. | |||
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| One of Us |
Lost both my big toe nails due to my boots not being ½ size too large. Going down the slopes, my toes banged into the end of the toe box. Had to use the "hot paper clip routine" to relieve the pressure. Blood and fluid flew all over the room... | |||
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| One of Us |
Here is my Red Stag  | |||
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One of Us |
big piece of bone  keep your barrell clean and your powder dry | |||
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Nice stag, really solid bottoms ,you would have to be really happy with him Tahr, no pain no gain.When it comes to mountain hunting the single most important piece of equipment are good fitting strong boots. Sorry about you toes, nails will grow back, about this time next year. Ouch. Tahr are fun to hunt for sure. Pleased you enjoyed our country and its people and the hunting of course. | |||
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Thanks for the kind words. Toe nails are growing back now, although slowly. Here's the Tahr. As you can see, I'm pretty gassed. I'm also holding onto him to keep him from tumbling down the mountain.  | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Australian and New Zealand Hunting Suggestions for NZ hunts? Apr / May 2015
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