Does it interest people - international hunting?

[RCR]

NZ is definitely on my bucket list of hunts. Not sure about what game species to hunt if the time comes, but for me most of game is the excuse to go hunting somewhere I've never been. I've been blessed to hunt AK a couple times, and Africa. My most memorable memories are of the people I've met and the challenges of travel, weather, and other obstacles than the taking of the game.

That said, I agree with previous post that cost and time are the biggest obstacles to international travel for us Americans. Add in that at trip from a coast to the Rockies, Texas, or Midwest holds many of the same challenges of an international hunt (multiple species, game care and trophy/meat recovery, etc) and you have some great opportunities.


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[5MilesBack]

I think his point is you could do it for half that and 5000$ doesn't get many sweet elk tags

$5k is still a lot of money, and for less than that I could hunt Idaho, MT, WY, and CO in the same year. That would also get me two very sweet LO elk tags.

I looked into a NZ fly fishing trip about 15 years ago and it was $10k.

 

[Lawnboi]

An international hunting trip, where I couldn't bring all my meat home would not interest me in the slightest, I'd rather hunt in the us and Canada, and eat the animals I harvest

 

[realunlucky]

An international hunting trip, where I couldn't bring all my meat home would not interest me in the slightest, I'd rather hunt in the us and Canada, and eat the animals I harvest

Why couldn't you bring it home? Fill out the fish and wildlife form and as long as your meat is professionally processed and labeled and not from a animal on the threatened list your good to go

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[elkguide]

Why couldn't you bring it home? Fill out the fish and wildlife form and as long as your meat is professionally processed and labeled and not from a animal on the threatened list your good to go

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Not what USDA and USF&W told me when I was trying to bring back Red Stag and Fallow deer from New Zealand.

 

[realunlucky]

I've never done it but the first lite guys blogged about how they bought back their chamois meat using a phone call to their arrival airport, a form 3-177 and butchers receipt. It's from 2016 but maybe their trip was earlier and the rules changed.

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[JWP58]

I think his point is you could do it for half that and 5000$ doesn't get many sweet elk tags

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Really? 5k for an elk tag?

 

[FURMAN]

I can not explain nor do I really know why but I have no desire to shoot a sambar deer. I will eventually make it to New Zealand but chamois, tahr, and red deer are the only animals on my hunt list.

 

[elkguide]

I can not explain nor do I really know why but I have no desire to shoot a sambar deer. I will eventually make it to New Zealand but chamois, tahr, and red deer are the only animals on my hunt list.

Fallow Deer are a good hunt too while in NZ.

 

[ozyclint]

Some people hunt years (like up to a decade) before shooting their first stag.

i think you lost them at decade.

 

[JPHuntingAUS]

i think you lost them at decade.

Haha probably not long, having said that I don't know how blokes manage to go so long. We probably just need one of those big social media hyped hunters to do it and show the adventure side to it and then it'll get others keen I reckon.

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[5MilesBack]

We probably just need one of those big social media hyped hunters to do it and show the adventure side to it and then it'll get others keen I reckon.

I've seen plenty of those guys (and gals) do it on their TV shows, but I don't think I've ever seen one of them taken with a bow. I have no desire at all to fly half way around the world and shoot stuff with a rifle......and I love killing stuff. Same for Cape Buffalo......would love to do a bow hunt. But I also wouldn't want to lay down the cash and the time if the odds aren't at least decent of getting some shots at stuff. The experience is fine.........up to a point, then animals need to be going down. A decade?? I get bored too easily to go hunting and not shoot something.

"Blokes" LOL......I've always loved that word.

 

[hunter4life]

I have been to Australia, but did not hunt Sambar. Was up in the NT hunting buffalo. Somewhat disappointing because they were pretty tame and easy to stalk up to. The adventure was more in the trip up there, seeing giant crocs, fishing, seeing what that area was like and lighting huge fires to burn off the dead grass. I would like to hunt free range sambar one day. The main thing that holds me back is the amount of time I would have to take off and the lost income (self-employed). There are also so many other animals in the world that I would like to go after more. Sambar have fairly unimpressive antlers when one is used to hunting elk and I think that hurts their appeal as well.

We did visit Water Valley down in South Australia. It is a high fence place but you can see all kinds of the deer species that you all have over there. Saw a lot of sambar on the hoof and carcasses hanging in the cool room and they are nowhere near 700 pounds. I have also seen a lot of pictures in the magazine Wild Deer and Hunting Adventures which I have a free subscription to for writing several stories and taking one of their cover photos. A few sambar do look to have huge bodies 700+, but I would say the average male would be about 500-550 pounds. They were nowhere near the size of an elk and most good sized Rocky Mountain Bulls are 700-800 pounds. However all the hunters around here will tell you they are a thousand pounds but none of them ever make it to a scale.

 

[16Bore]

Get the gazetteer map of the state you live in and just sit and thumb through the pages. It won't take long and you'll be amazed at what you can find in your backyard. I was kinda amazed for VA and lived here my entire life.

Anyhoo..... Just something to think about.

 

[JPHuntingAUS]

I have been to Australia, but did not hunt Sambar. Was up in the NT hunting buffalo. Somewhat disappointing because they were pretty tame and easy to stalk up to. The adventure was more in the trip up there, seeing giant crocs, fishing, seeing what that area was like and lighting huge fires to burn off the dead grass. I would like to hunt free range sambar one day. The main thing that holds me back is the amount of time I would have to take off and the lost income (self-employed). There are also so many other animals in the world that I would like to go after more. Sambar have fairly unimpressive antlers when one is used to hunting elk and I think that hurts their appeal as well.

We did visit Water Valley down in South Australia. It is a high fence place but you can see all kinds of the deer species that you all have over there. Saw a lot of sambar on the hoof and carcasses hanging in the cool room and they are nowhere near 700 pounds. I have also seen a lot of pictures in the magazine Wild Deer and Hunting Adventures which I have a free subscription to for writing several stories and taking one of their cover photos. A few sambar do look to have huge bodies 700+, but I would say the average male would be about 500-550 pounds. They were nowhere near the size of an elk and most good sized Rocky Mountain Bulls are 700-800 pounds. However all the hunters around here will tell you they are a thousand pounds but none of them ever make it to a scale.

Ive been to Water Valley with friends, it doesn't have sambar. They've got sambar rusa hybrids which are nothing like the real thing. You need to see a real high country sambar to appreciate it.

Good stuff on wild deer mag too, best we have! I write a few articles a year for them. Great publication.


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[JPHuntingAUS]

I've seen plenty of those guys (and gals) do it on their TV shows, but I don't think I've ever seen one of them taken with a bow. I have no desire at all to fly half way around the world and shoot stuff with a rifle......and I love killing stuff. Same for Cape Buffalo......would love to do a bow hunt. But I also wouldn't want to lay down the cash and the time if the odds aren't at least decent of getting some shots at stuff. The experience is fine.........up to a point, then animals need to be going down. A decade?? I get bored too easily to go hunting and not shoot something.

"Blokes" LOL......I've always loved that word.

That's worst case scenario, five days and you should be able to find something if you're a half decent hunter. I've never hunted them and seen nothing. Last November was still the best trip to date saw 8 stags in 5 days.

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[D_Eightch]

To me there is too much opportunity closer to home. If time and $$$ was of no concern I'd probably consider some international hunts.

 

[slvrslngr]

Boiled down, 2 issues, time and money. Compared to Aussies, Americans get much less time off and the cost of guided hunts is outrageous there. If Americans hunt out of the US spending their time and money, most want something more exotic and with a better success rate. Not only that, most Americans are rifle hunters and can't bring their favorite gun to Australia unless on a fully outfitted hunt, unlike New Zealand. I'll also add that the logistics of planning and executing a DIY hunt from the States is very daunting. I'd love to go hunt sambar, but it all boils down to time and money.

 

[JPHuntingAUS]

Boiled down, 2 issues, time and money. Compared to Aussies, Americans get much less time off and the cost of guided hunts is outrageous there. If Americans hunt out of the US spending their time and money, most want something more exotic and with a better success rate. Not only that, most Americans are rifle hunters and can't bring their favorite gun to Australia unless on a fully outfitted hunt, unlike New Zealand. I'll also add that the logistics of planning and executing a DIY hunt from the States is very daunting. I'd love to go hunt sambar, but it all boils down to time and money.

That's fair except about price of guided hunts. I've looked into them in the states and they're far dearer. Most hunts in australia for red, fallow, rusa, chital and sambar are between $2500-4000 inclusive. Which is less with your dollar conversion.

I look at the states and you're talking $5-6k for most western hunts, plus tags and tips. And then add on more for our dollar. I had a look at the Montana combo tag for deer and elk and converted to aussie dollars it was around $1500 just for the tag!

The aussie norm is 4 weeks leave a year.

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[16Bore]

DIY, 4-5 days, under $1,000. That's pretty much my reality and makes for very few options. I did a tag-a-long trip with my brother in WA a couple years ago for $730 including airfare. Funny thing is he can spend a week in VA with me and get an outta state license (including airfare) cheaper than just the cost of me getting a WA tag.