razorsharp, as you can see my my avatar I have been to NZ and made good friends with people there. I see them each yr when they visit the usa. FYI red deer aka stag is farmed in NZ massively and it is big business. They sell the meat to the European market mainly, they strip the velvet and sell it to the chineese and they sell the antler powder also to the chineese. They give away a lot also to local people etc at least where I was. I was told some mornings to shoot cull animals for give aways to community stuff. Some excess aka nasty rut stag was frozen and fed to the herding dogs. None is wasted. It is a long flight to the west coast from aukland and then to where ever you are and would be expensive and I am sure usfws and customs usda will have fun with you in California so I say enjoy the venison there and forget it. PS tahr, fallow, chamois, goats, etc were frozen for the herding dogs where I was at. which island are you hunting they are very different and I have done both if you need info