New Zealand Red Stag

[Paule]

As stated...bucket list hunt. Looking for any and all input regarding this hunt. March/April of 2019. (piggy backing a family trip to Australia, wife doesn't know yet...lol) Hoping to get personal experiences(shipping costs back here/use of outfitter firearms? or bringing my own/hidden costs....) and price points from members of this board. Thanks for any and all information in advance.
Paul

[3blade]

Been doing some research as well. What do you want out of it? Estate hunts you pay by the score, some are big estates with only boundary fences, some kick your animal out of a pen on the day of your hunt. Public land is widely available but will require some hard hiking and a really good stag is a 6 or 7 point...for a week long hunt you should be happy with a 5. North island = wet and vegetated, sound island = dryer and more open especially on the east side.

Prices are in USD so make sure to factor in the exchange rate.

Firearms are easier if you don't go through the US. You fill out a form available online, prearange with the NZ police service and pay a small fee on arrival at the airport, and they want to see your license so make sure you take your PAL.

You cannot bring fresh meat back from any country that is not the USA. Make sure you figure out what the CBSA will need to do for inspecting the head/shoulder mount. NZ taxidermy is expensive, but trying to get any non-finished animal parts shipped into Canada from overseas is a nightmare and they often just confiscate and destroy.

US customs/border patrol/homeland security can and will do whatever they want, and tend to get their panties in a knot over guns and animal parts even if they aren't staying in the US or even leaving the airport, so don't think that transferring through LAX means anything to them. You can fly out of Vancouver direct to Auckland to avoid the hassle.

[southernman]

Well I am from NZ and spend plenty of time down there, I have a house in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island.
cost wise, pretty much from nothing on a do it yourself, free range to over $10000 for a high country station paid hunt.
it costs $25 at Auckland airport for a NZ police temp licence, Valid one year.
Likley $100 for shipping extra baggage fees, each way.
There are no tags, but a permit is required to carry a firearm on crown land, these are free, and are obtained form the department of conservation (DOC)
There are quite good heads 10-16 point 5x5-8x8 taken every year in back country NZ, they are normally hard won, threw lots hard work and sweet, Not all areas have quality gens in the heard, so if it a trophy your after research will be required to source likely areas,
I hunt the Ruahine, Kaweka ranges mostly, lots of deer but not over great red stag heads, ( mate calls them Ruahine rubbish) lol, world class sika deer heads in Northern Ruahine and kawaka, these are a real fun deer to hunt, hard to put a hole in, but you get on to plenty in a day.
Cabins (huts) are common threw out the back country of NZ and normally cost $5 night good place to base oneself, fly camp away from hut for best results,
North island is mostly thick bush hunting and most shots will be inside 100m, take a compact rifle, South island is more open and long shots are likely 250m-plus,
If I am down there, when you are, I will be prepared to take you out, and hunt the kiwi way, I also have a mate who is a very keen hunter and does sum guiding, May be able to hook up something with him,
The roar is a busy time in the Scrub in NZ, esp the few weeks around Easter, Generally I don't hunt over Easter, and instead go fishing, Marlin, tuna, snapper etc, too many once a year bonehead hunters in the hills.
Rifle wise, the most common hunting caliber sold in NZ, is the 7-08, and esp in the north island its likely to be chopped to 16-18"and suppressed.
Take a fishing rod, pack light and make sure you fit, and you have a great experience.

[double gun]

I've met southernman, and he is a good guy. I would listen to what he says, and highly recommend taking him up on any or all his offers if at all possible.

[flyguyd]

If you can hook up with Southernman that is your most economical hunt and im sure will be awesome as it will be Kiwi style

On a decent free range estate (one i was at was 30,000 acres +.fenced on 3 sides only)you will get a 351-379 stag for about $11000 USD not including Airfare , Trophy prep,Taxifees, shipping , brokerage and tip. Im around $16000 Canadian into mine but not a complaint in the world

[Anotherkiwi]

If you're interested in typical kiwi style DIY hunting send me a message and I can point you in the right direction. We shoot stags that are not like the safari stags but its free and a true adventure

If you interested in tahr, this is also a good DIY option.

[Rugersingle]

I went in 2015 and as pointed out most of the "big" stags we see on the Internet are from some form of an estate hunt. And, as pointed out already, every kind of hunt can be arranged around that. Almost all estate hunts are quoted in USA $$'s. Big stags can be had on public land for alot less but ....you better be committed and well conditioned to make that effort.

Irregardless, the people and the scenery are fantastic ! I was on the South island for a month and the West coast is an awesome area. They call it a Temperate Rainforest and yea.....the bush is thick ! I swear whichever way you turn is uphill and the thorns and stinging nettle are always waiting for you. The fern tree's are 12' tall...Its incredible

I travelled from Vancouver direct to Auckland...skip the States , the firearms hokey pokey ain’t worth it. Get a NZ Firearms permit on line, in advance, have $25NZ cash with you for the permit at the airport, carry your PAL with you and its a smooth as silk process. If you go with an outfitter they will guide you through the process. Extra baggage fee's can apply depending on your ticket and airline. Also, notify your in country airline you will be travelling with a firearm....they all have some rules ya gotta follow.

Red Stag Euro mount was ~$500NZ, Shipping, paperwork, customs clearance and shipping to Fort Nelson BC from Christchurch NZ was ~$900Cdn. Mind you that $900 was for a 45"x44"x24" crate that weighed in at 121 lbs. And there were a number of other items in the crate besides just the stag horns.

Check out fishnhunt.co.nz for a look at hunting in NZ. Its not just what we see on the TV and at the hunting shows.

[444]

This is a trip I definitely want to do. Prefer NZ style tho....the real deal. Was in NZ 32 yrs ago for 6wks backpacking both Islands and have always wanted to go back when I actually had money. Back then my budget was $10/day...LOL. Have hammered lots of elk over here and red stag is definitely on my to do list. Would be fun to chase tahr as well. Thanks for posting the info guys.....444