I have heard that some of the best Red Stag come from New Zealand. I would like to get some more information/opinions from those of you who live there. I understand that in New Zealand there are free range Red Stag hunting and that there are high fenced Red Stag operations. I would like to hear your thoughts on the pros/cons of each.

The overall experience of the hunt is as important to me as the quality of the animal taken. I see these ads with pictures of 350-400 SCI class Red Stag but I do not know if these animals were raised by hand and then put into the back pasture the night before the hunt. I would like a real hunt for Red Stag with a chance at a 300-350 SCI class animal. To hunt with a gun or bow would be fine.

I have bow hunted behind an 80,000 acre high fenced ranch in Namibia and never saw the fence except for the first day I entered the ranch and the final day that I left. I do not think that it affected the overall experience of my plainsgame bow hunt as it was such a large property.

If you could, would someone please post some pictures of Red Stags that they have taken and approximate score?

How large is a 7 KG rack? I have had a hunt described to me where a minimum of 7 KG rack was mentioned.

Thanks to the gentlemen from Down-Under.

Ron L



This is a warthog, not a wild boar.

i have hunted in Scotland and New Zealand and they strike me as sort of similar: if you want a hunt without fences, you will shoot a smaller animal. If you want a big one, you go behind the fences, which isn't for me.

If I were you i would hunt tahr and chamois (free range) in NZ and hunt stag in Scotland (small stags, but very cool experience) or Argentina.

JMO.

RON I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS WHO HUNTED IN NEW ZEALAND YOU CAN GET RED STAGS,THAR,CHAMOISE,FALLOW DEER ,AND OTHERS BUT ALWAYS FENCED THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE ARE NOT FREE RANGE HUNTING AS HERE IN ARGENTINA .HERE FENCES ARE VERY RARE.JUAN

You are right, NZ has some great Red Stags. You won't find bigger anywhere in the world.
Yes we have fair chase huting for Reds on Public Lands readily available to all, however trophy quality is very low compared to animals from managed herds on game ranch operations.
You will not find 350 score animals in the wild, you would be very lucky to find a 300 score animal wild.
So if it's a huge rack you're after, then a game ranch hunt is the only option. Many of these operations provide a high quality hunting experience.
I have plenty of photos of big heads and can give you approximate scores on each. Only problem is I have no idea how to attach photos on this site. (PM me and I'll send you some.)
Or if you post pictures, I'll give you approximate scores.
A 7 KG stag sounds like a europeon system of scoring.
In a lot of europeon countries Red Stags are judged on their antler weight after they have been skull capped.
7 KG is not a big Deer.
Current NZ record is 20.9 KG.
If you're planning to hunt in New Zealand, don't overlook Tahr and Chamois fair chase hunts.

Check out some of the earlier postings on NZ deer/tahr hunting , there are some excellant reports and photos from "foreigners" about their experiences doing exactley what you ask about .

We have free range and we have enclosure , you pays your money and does the one that you think suits you . Shooting fish in a barrel isnt sport by my ethics , only you know what yours are ...

Of course there is free range red stag hunting in NZ. Just most guys want to pop one in an easy 3 day hunt and head home with a "braggin" rack rather than a representative rack.

I think I've got a photo somewhere.

TrackersNZ

What sort of size are these fenced properties ie not including separate fenced "paddocks", but the actual size the deer can 'escape' into?

Are the forested with bush, or open grasslands and mountain sides?

The stags that are hunted with the huge racks. How many years or months are they in the hunting areas after release from a deer farm before they are hunted? Are these animals hand fed in deer farms and used to the close proximity of humans?