Hunting in New Zealand

Originally Posted by GWH

Thanks for the welcome. As with many o/seas hunters, my first trip will be on a budget, I'd like to take on of the bigger plains game species (Eland, Kudu, Sable) plus some of the smaller antelope depending on what is available. A Warthog is definitely on the list and The ultimate goal for me would be to take leopard and Cape Buffalo, the only two out of the Big 5 I have a strong interest in.

Hi GWH,

I'm a kiwi living in the UK. I lived in Melbourne for 8 yrs. I've hunted both RSA & Namibia for plains game. RSA is great, especially for novice hunters but mainly game ranches. Namibia is spectacular and probably more authentic, especially in tribal area concession area hunts, than RSA. I hear Caprivi strip and Botswana are excellent for big Buff, leopard and plains game. What have you hunted in NZ? I have Himalayan Thar and Red deer on my list and from what I hear NZ is definitely the top place for these species? Any advice, recommendations much appreciated
Cheers
Paul

G'day paul, yep NZ is the only place you can take tahr, I have shot 4 Bulls since I have been here, have taken Chamois red and Sika aswell, although no real good trophies in the deer department, to be rectified in about 3 weeks

I would say NZ is among the best for red deer, particularly if you chase them on the South island around Otago, some big heads down that way. Worth having a look at Sika too - they are a unique deer and are like a mini version of Sambar, challenging buggers to hunt!!!

Advice wise I would go on times of year, obviously the roar is the best time to hunt any of the deer, for both Sika and reds late march to mid april is your best bet.

For Tahr, the winter coat is the best for a trophy, but hunting them in winter can be tough and requires specialist kit to get up to where they are. I took mine in November, thinner coats and the Tahr were high but far less ice to contend with. May is also a popular time for tahr hunting - their coats have developed but the conditions are generally still workable to hunt them in. I would recommend somewhere on the West Coast (South Island) as then you have a chance of securing Chamois and tahr in one hit.

Thanks for the advice on areas you made, namibia sounds good!!!

Hey GWH, thanks for the advice on NZ. I'm thinking maybe August for a Thar so I get the winter coat, as it is truly spectacular. How's about posting some pics of your 4 Thar bulls so we can all see them. I have a brother farming on a south island hill station near Waikaia so will go with him for red deer in the roar some time, as you suggest. Can you recommend any NZ outfitters?
Check out my Namibia hunting story on africahunting for pics of my Namibia hunt and scenery.Go to: Hunting - Hunting Stories, Articles or Editorial - Hunting Stories - Hunting in Namibia

Also I forgot to mention Sable are mostly bred for hunting on game farms in SA these days and quite expensive to shoot. But don't worry, there are loads of other magnificent antelope species (like Kudu and Oryx) to choose from if Sable is out of your budget.
cheers
Paul

I have always wanted to hunt in NZ but never made it there yet. I recently read about a couple of hunters taking Tahr in their native range in Tibet, but the hunting there is very limited and there is no doubt that the NZ is the place to for them.

Paul you can still take free range Sable in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia...................on game ranches in RSA and Namibia the sable are bringing rather hefty trophy fees in the neighborhood of Botswana $8,000 - $9,000. But there are no cheap sable. In the countries where you can hunt them free range there is usually a minimum number of days you have to hunt before sable are on licence, 12 to 14 is about average, and the daily rates are usually a lot higher than the average daily rates we see these days in RSA and Namibia (not counting the Caprivi).