2018 New Zealand Expedition

[mtcarter]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this thread so feel free to move.

In a few short weeks two friends and I are heading to New Zealand for two months, the first six weeks of which will be purely for hunting (final two weeks for sightseeing when the girlfriend arrives). This trip has been over a year in the making and I have learned a lot on this forum so I thought I would share this experience with everyone.

This is a large trip for us so I will share some information about myself and my experience hunting. In addition, I have a final few gear items to decide on so I'll post a kit list so that I can get everyone's opinions. While on the trip I will try to post updates at least weekly based on cell service and/or WiFi availability.

New Zealand is in vogue right now so I'm sure many of you are also planning your own trips. We had tons of questions and received help from many sources. However we are still winging a fair bit. In an effort to not give bad information on topics of which we know very little, I'll save those responses for after we've vetted the information.

The Plan:
On March 6 we leave the States for Christchurch, New Zealand. After picking up our rental SUV, we will head to the Department of Conservation (DOC) to get our permits and any advice they may offer. When we are legal we will make our final gear and food purchases and strike off for the West Coast.

We haven't made any final decisions on the exact locations as we wanted to talk to DOC first. Their website is invaluable in locating hunting ranges based on species available.

In an effort to staunch the hemorrhage of funds (and to bolster our sense of adventure) we will be hiking in from trail heads instead of using a helicopter. As many areas are closed to heli access except by draw we have a greater expanse of range open to us. The DOC uses language such as "extremely difficult to access by foot" when describing these areas. What we lack in good sense we make up for in time.

We've planned this trip with tahr in mind and that will be the focus. However, as the roar will be in full swing towards the latter stages for our trip we will chase red deer as well. We didn't apply for a "roar block" so we will only be allowed in open areas. I would love to hunt fallow deer but I don't know if that will happen this trip.

I'm going to be carrying just the recurve on this trip so I won't be overly dangerous. My friend is carrying a rifle in addition to his compound. While I crave the experience of the traditional bow I am not opposed to burning some gunpowder should the tahr prove too elusive. We have six weeks to figure the animals out. Barring that perhaps we can locate some particularly dimwitted ones. Either way it should be an adventure.

Questions, advice, and comments welcome!

Cheers

 

[Dexter Grayson]

Sounds like an amazing trip, can't wait to hear the stories!

 

[Dinger]

The DOC uses language such as "extremely difficult to access by foot"

For me this roughly translates to sketchy and dangerous, might be vertical in places....Kiwi's will go places Mountain Goats fear to tread so when DOC say it is hard to get to you will probably need climbing gear and know how to use it.

My NZ hunting is limited to a couple of trips, I am sure some guys with more experience under their belt will have a heap of value to add to this thread.

 

[Ironmerganser]

TRIP OF MY DREAMS!! When you get back...I may need to bend your ear as I would like to do this in 2-3 years.
In my experience of traveling out of the country, I would keep a notebook so you can constantly take down notes and names/contact information of the people you talk to / get info from in case you need to make contact with them again on the trip.

 

[mtcarter]

I am very inexperienced when it comes to this sort of thing so any and all advice is helpful. The bits that I do know, or learn along the way, I'll be more than happy to share.

 

[mtcarter]

A bit about myself:

I've been getting quite a few questions lately about how I'm going to be able to make this trip happen. As there is nothing special about me I figured I would share some personal information. That way if anyone is on the fence about whether they can make a trip like this happen I may be able to give them the confidence to jump in.

I'm 28 years old and within the last year graduated from my decade long on again off again relationship with university. This left me with a not insignificant student loan debt. After a field season of wildlife technician work I started working at a craft brewery, where I've been for six months. In this job I've lived pretty much paycheck to paycheck (sometimes paycheck to a few days before paycheck). While I'm not starving I don't have extra cash just laying around.

I used to work with a guy at a large warehouse store. He was in his forties, married with young twins. I went over to his house for a beer one evening and he showed me his home theater room. There had to be $45k in audio equipment, projectors, custom chairs, etc. He didn't make much more per hour than I did and he certainly had more bills so I had to ask him how he could have afforded this. He paused for a moment, pensive, before he replied, "You know, in this world there are a lot of men who make a lot less money than I do. But they can support a Crack habit that I couldn't possibly afford. If you make it a priority you can afford anything". I always get a kick out of that. You had to know the guy.

Perhaps it isn't the healthiest way to look at ones finances but it sure is the most enlightening. I certainly don't have it as hard as many people but saving for this trip was just plain difficult. In the end I saved the money, if not as much as I would have liked. I told my job that I would be gone for two months. They said I didn't have to quit and I would have a job when I returned. More generosity than many could expect.

 

[mlucashr]

Can’t wait to hear more. Good luck, and be safe.


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[JPHuntingAUS]

You shouldn't need to go into doc for a permit? All of the permits I ever needed we're available online.

Tahr are actually pretty easy to hunt, I dreamed of them from when I was a kid but after shooting half a dozen bulls over a few trips it lost its allure a bit. Don't get me wrong I'll do it again but I'm not rushing back.
The country is breathtaking and challenging but tahr are almost as dumb as posts despite tv shows trying to make out like they're an almost unattainable trophy. Get above them and you should do well.

As for reds just get into the Bush, there's plenty out there. Bearing in mind real red stags are nothing like the high fence, if you find a mid 30" long stag with 12 points don't pass him up!

There are fallow about, I've never hunted them in NZ though. East coast of South island holds them.

There's a few wild sheep and chamois there too. My next nz trip will be after chamois. If you really want a challenge get to the north island and hunt sika!

Shoulda popped over to Aus on the way it's got some good hunting!

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[mtcarter]

You shouldn't need to go into doc for a permit? All of the permits I ever needed we're available online.

Tahr are actually pretty easy to hunt, I dreamed of them from when I was a kid but after shooting half a dozen bulls over a few trips it lost its allure a bit. Don't get me wrong I'll do it again but I'm not rushing back.
The country is breathtaking and challenging but tahr are almost as dumb as posts despite tv shows trying to make out like they're an almost unattainable trophy. Get above them and you should do well.

As for reds just get into the Bush, there's plenty out there. Bearing in mind real red stags are nothing like the high fence, if you find a mid 30" long stag with 12 points don't pass him up!

There are fallow about, I've never hunted them in NZ though. East coast of South island holds them.

There's a few wild sheep and chamois there too. My next nz trip will be after chamois. If you really want a challenge get to the north island and hunt sika!

Shoulda popped over to Aus on the way it's got some good hunting!

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I'll need them to be dumb as posts to stand around while I get into recurve range. So that is a confidence booster. As far as reds go I don't find much alluring about those high fence monsters. I wouldn't pass a mature animal. Australia is next on the list and I want to make a dedicated trip to experience it. I do have a ten hour layover in Sydney on the way over. Not very much time do anything but take a quick look at the place.

 

[JPHuntingAUS]

I'll need them to be dumb as posts to stand around while I get into recurve range. So that is a confidence booster. As far as reds go I don't find much alluring about those high fence monsters. I wouldn't pass a mature animal. Australia is next on the list and I want to make a dedicated trip to experience it. I do have a ten hour layover in Sydney on the way over. Not very much time do anything but take a quick look at the place.

In that case definitely try to get above the tahr and you should be able to squeeze into range. My last hunt I took the bow, on the first stalk of the trip I left it at camp to focus on some glassing, ended up 7m from a bull!

We have interesting laws in aus but it is very doable. Nsw requires a bit more than my state to hunt, here it's just a otc license. Though you do need a licensed Aussie with you to hunt big game. But you could just find someone on a forum like this pretty easy.

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[Ndbowhunter]

Doc permits are printed offline.

Can get a cheap data plan from 2degrees for like 20$


Ditch the rental idea and buy a rig. Way cheaper and you won't need an rv.


Download the campermate app, it's a really invaluable tool. Tells where camping and wifi and toilets and water and other stuff is.

Be aware that west coast choppers can be really cheap..

Nz hunters are a lot more talented and fit then The average American hunter from my experience

Be prepared for condensation. Period.

Buy the spot x book.

A lot of the beta I have, had been earned with boot leather and I loathe to share it on the internet.

Pm me early April if you still haven't had luck. I'll be landing on the 15th for a trip.

Best non ballot area in the South Island has to be Cobb valley area. You can get access in Wanaka if ur real keen for fallow from my experience I don't rate that whole deal super high.

The Douglas river area might be a good place with a bow.. it's fckin steep tho.

 

[Dinger]

Though you do need a licensed Aussie with you to hunt big game. But you could just find someone on a forum like this pretty easy.

I'll throw out the offer of assistance for a hunt after Sambar if you decide have a side trip to Australia and want to experience chasing our premier game animal. I can help with just pointing you in the right direction, a car camp based hunt or something backpacking orientated.

 

[mtcarter]

My hunting experience:

This will be my 20th year big game hunting, as strange as that feels to say. Almost the entirety of my experience has been in the southeast US hunting whitetail deer and pigs, the only exception being a black tail hunt on POW island Alaska. Most of this local hunting has been conducted from a tree stand with a rifle. I hunted exclusively with a bow in my late teens with limited success.

The last two years have shown me that life is much too short to sit in a tree stand so I gave that tactic up completely. I just can't stomach it. These few seasons have been spent on the ground, still hunting as well as some limited spot and stalk. Last year I must have decided that I was eating too much meat and so traded in the rifle for the recurve.

This deer season, August to January in South Carolina, I struggled through the swamps and mosquitoes, chasing deer and pigs. Other than two mildly perforated boars no animals were harmed with the bow (not counting the time I nearly cut my finger off on a broad head while attempting to defend the last vestiges of my dignity from a hoard of mosquitoes).

 

[mtcarter]

Doc permits are printed offline.

1. Can get a cheap data plan from 2degrees for like 20$


2. Ditch the rental idea and buy a rig. Way cheaper and you won't need an rv.


3. Download the campermate app, it's a really invaluable tool. Tells where camping and wifi and toilets and water and other stuff is.

4. Be aware that west coast choppers can be really cheap..

5. Nz hunters are a lot more talented and fit then The average American hunter from my experience

6. Be prepared for condensation. Period.

7. Buy the spot x book.

8. A lot of the beta I have, had been earned with boot leather and I loathe to share it on the internet.

9. Pm me early April if you still haven't had luck. I'll be landing on the 15th for a trip.

10. Best non ballot area in the South Island has to be Cobb valley area. You can get access in Wanaka if ur real keen for fallow from my experience I don't rate that whole deal super high.

11. The Douglas river area might be a good place with a bow.. it's fckin steep tho.

I have the permit forms saved on my computer. I figured a stop in wouldn't hurt to make sure I have my ducks in a row.
1.That data plan is a bit cheaper than my international plan so I'll check that out. I have an inReach for communication anyway.
2. The rental vehicle was actually super cheap as the service has you renting peoples personal vehicles.
3. Downloading now.
4. From the quotes we got over the phone they were way too expensive. We must have called the wrong ones.
5. I don't expect to be out climbing or hunting anyone.
6. The condensation is probably the one thing I'm most prepared for.
7. I'll have to look at it again. I made an assumption (based on nothing) that the book was looked down upon.
8. Fully understood.
9. Hopefully We will be into them by then. Either way I would be happy to buy you a beer should you have the time and we are close.
10. Do you not care for fallow?
11. The Douglas river was suggested before, with the same warning.

Thanks for all the advice, plenty of which I hadn't considered. More to research!

Cheers

 

[mtcarter]

I'll throw out the offer of assistance for a hunt after Sambar if you decide have a side trip to Australia and want to experience chasing our premier game animal. I can help with just pointing you in the right direction, a car camp based hunt or something backpacking orientated.

If I can convince the change in my pocket to start breeding I may take you up on that. In all seriousness if my budget looks like it will allow for that then I will PM you.

Cheers

 

[JPHuntingAUS]

If you want fallow you're far better off coming to Australia. Until recently NZ fallow weren't that that, it's only been since deliberate releases that they're picking up.

Australian reds are pretty good too, but similarly to nz fallow it's due to a lot of releases.

But sambar is the main one here, if you like backpack hunting and working for your animal it's very enjoyable.

I'd offer to help you out but I'm already booked up with my plans for this year's hunts.

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[mtcarter]

I have been consuming quite a bit of Australian sambar hunting footage on YouTube the last few weeks. I would love to chase them.

 

[LIWolverine]

Man I’ve been researching a diy to New Zealand for over 10 yrs. I finally nailed down 2019 or 2020 with my guys I’d go with. I’m very anxiously following your posts. Thank you for sharing the info you have so far.


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[EasilyExcited]

looking forward to updates. i leave on feb 11th and return on 3/6 i dont get to hunt on this trip but planning on getting some fishing in

 

[Ndbowhunter]

The greenstone and The caples are the premier valleys for fallow from my experience but it's a ballot area.. my mates got a place that runs nearly into mavora lakes area... there's the odd one kicking around but I wouldnt waste me time. Most east SI herds are on private land, and the blue mountains just don't tickle my fancy.

bust up a good eastern drainage, rakaia to the ahuriri a long ways. Be aware you can drive rivers but ur sol if u get stuck.. then get up and after them.

There's great deer numbers in south Westland but not great heads.

Pizza Hut large pizzas are 5nzd so 3.50$ and taste great after a week in the bush.

The warehouse is kinda like our Walmart. Their gas cylinders are cheap and work fine.

New world grocery stores will give u a visitor membership and they have 100mb free wifi.

Do try kapiti bars and most have backpacker cuisine meals. The chicken tikka masala is sweet as!!



There's these self pump stations all around the South Island that are significantly cheaper then Regular petrol stations.