Planning first New Zealand Hunt

A few quick questions for you veterans.

I am planning a NZ hunt likely for winter 2016 time frame. yes this is a long way out. What I am looking for is a free range hunt for fallow deer and red stag. perhaps sika deer too but that would be a lower priority. Top goals would be to harvest a good representative red stag in a free range/fair chase hunt with my own equipment. I have no objection to other people doing "estate" type hunts behind a fence but this is not for me.

I do my own gunsmithing/reloading so doing a hunt with borrowed equipment would be very unfavorable.

Questions are fairly simple:

1) I have seen all the feedback on this (and other) forums for Kiwi Safaris. This seems like a good operation. Anyone have experience with free range hunts with this outfit?

2) I have also seen some good reports on Poronuri and Steve Smith. Any comments on this operation?

3) Maybe the only complicated issue: Wife wants to stop over in Fiji. From what I can find online, bringing a firearm through Fiji is NOT straightforward. Has anyone done this?

Any feed back is much appreciated.

I have no knowledge of your outfitters but you will enjoy New Zealand. Remember their seasons are opposite ours and the roar or rut for red stags will be in april. Nw zealand is "gun friendly " with only a $25 fee for gun import and no ammo tax. I went with aoteroa safaris on the south island a few years ago and am very happy. All free range. Good luck with the trip and planning.

I would like to Reply to this also if I may.
On bringing your rifle through Fiji I haven't heard lately but know in the past it hasent been possible. I have had clients ship there rifle both to New Zealand and from in the past without to many issues. I think bringing it in I used one of our gun shops that helped if I recall.
On Free range hunting, this is what we specialise in. Based out of the South Island just below Christchurch we have exclusive access and management to large high country Stations (cattle/sheep ranches) which is naturally home to Red Stag, Fallow Buck, Tahr, Chamois and Wallaby all in our areas. Two of the properties have Red Stag, Chamois, Tahr and Fallow on it, and another that is 10500 acres Fallow and Wallaby. Our hunting is based out of the new lodge we just bought which is within 25 mins to 3 of the properties, or alternatively if a hunter would prefer we also have warm and comfortable Cabins right in the hunting areas. I believe we have undoubtably some of the best free range hunting in New Zealand due to our properties, the management partnership with landowners, the fact that we also work on these places and know them well and location that have close proximity to all the animals that no other Outfitter has access to that is all free range, private land and hunted traditionally. We also have access to my own private properties in the North Island also for Sika, Sambar and Rusa deer which I personally guide on. The rut for the 3 deer you mentioned starts around late March and goes through till the start of May typically.
We generally hunt those species from March- August.
If you have any more questions about New Zealand I would be happy to answer them. The photos below are some of the animals our clients harvested this season including a magnificent Fallow Buck I found this morning.
Thanks,
Jim Gibson

I went last May. Funny thing is Jim Gibson that post just before me was my guide. He was fantastic!! I hope I get to hut with him again some day. For some reason it won't let me post pics now I'll keep trying.

Jeff P said:

I went last May. Funny thing is Jim Gibson that post just before me was my guide. He was fantastic!! I hope I get to hut with him again some day. For some reason it won't let me post pics now I'll keep trying.

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I'm booked to go with Jim next May. I am really looking forward to it, Jim sounds like a very nice guy and couldn't have made the booking process any easier.

Also check out Allan and Sue Stewart, Leithen valley hunts...... Rachel (daughter) is running the operation.....(try to keep up she's a slave driver!)

been around for 25 years + sure they can help aswell

my best always

New Zealand is a paradise for free range hunting ,But be carefull .
Some of the free range heads you see are not a true representative NZ wild trophy .
They may be shot outside fences but are bread for hunting . you do not get heads like some of the above in the NZ wild .
These are what you get here if you are lucky .
Good luck though whatever you do you will love hunting here in NZ .

Couldn't agree more. Hence the reason we only hunt on private high country properties with exclusive access. If you want to hunt a free range Stag it's not about the score, it's about the hunt. Those Stags I posted are all pure free range Stags Dory.

that velvet head is a ripper mount , dory

Belongs to a mate , all the heads come from the same area in South Westland NZ .
Ive always liked the velvet mount .
Theres to much farm blood in some of the socalled free range heads you see now .
They look stupid , and there stuffing up a lot of records of true heads taken over the years .
The velvet mount is a true wild NZ trophy Red Deer ., carried out by the hunter on his back , Not picked up by a helicopter the minute the client shot it .

If your open to the idea of self guided then a true Nz hunt would be to hunt your chosen game on public land that is open to all to hunt, with a permit for firearms/bow/dog from the department of conservation (DOC), the permit is free and takes all of 2 mins to get.
The downside to this for a traveling visitor is a lack of time as there is alot of places to explore and some great 'true' wilderness experiences to be had with pack on back and rifle in hand.
On the other hand have heard only good about Nz safaris so that may be your best option.
Good luck and enjoy!! Beer at my place if need be

I hunted earlier this yr with Peter at Kiwi Wilderness Safaris. I think you would have a great hunt with him. Very knowledgeable. He is a great guy to hunt with. Prices are very good. If I go back to NZ then I would hunt with him in a instant. Bruce

Me and my girlfriend are going to New Zealand in 2016 for 3 weeks to do some hunting and fishing.
We plan to do it all by ourselves and maybe with the help from a few nice kiwis.

Norwegianwoods said:

Me and my girlfriend are going to New Zealand in 2016 for 3 weeks to do some hunting and fishing.
We plan to do it all by ourselves and maybe with the help from a few nice kiwis.

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you my friend are going to have the time of your lives ,
will you be taking your bow?

bluey said:

you my friend are going to have the time of your lives ,
will you be taking your bow?

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For sure I will take my bow
I will mostly or all the time hunt with my bow and my girlfriend will hunt with her rifle.
We plan to mostly be in the northern part of South Island.

This is going to be both a hunting and fishing vacation, buy also to check out a few places and see if we can find a job for my girlfriend(she is a nurse) there and then make up our minds when we come home if we want to move there with our kids

good stuff , hope it works a treat .