Firstly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Tom Jones. I am a born and bred Kiwi. Hunting in New Zealand has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. The old man was a deer culler and helicopter shooter for the majority of his working life. Growing up with hunting in my blood has given me such a passion and understanding for hunting in New Zealand. I have made it my career, being in the pest control industry for a few years and working on protecting some of New Zealand’s most endangered species through working for different government departments. Now after guiding for other hunting outfits for several years, I decided it was time to run my own hunting outfit in New Zealand, Main Divide Outfitters. The poor old bull has been referred to with many names in the past. Many too wild to mention, but one that strikes me as true is the ‘Devil’ because you have to go through Hell to get him. Hunting bull tahr for me has to be the top big game animal in the southern hemisphere, possibly the world, with his big black mane, long fur coat and his ability to run down a sheer rock face beyond vertical jumping from one side of the bluff to another with a mere, tiny crack in the rock as a foot hold is a sight to be seen. The area the bull tahr live in is unforgiving. Cold and more often than not wet. There are no words to prepare you for hunting tahr. It is not only physically challenging but mentally challenging, being wet, cold, and exhausted. Walking on slippery rocks all day takes a huge amount of concentration and energy. It’s nothing like stalking in Australia. If you want to hunt tahr, its best you know what to do. There are a couple of different options for you to hunt tahr in New Zealand. Do it yourself hunts or guided hunts. I am going to explain both in detail. Work out which one is best to fit your needs. Introduction of the tahr and movement, habits, rutting, times to hunt: Six tahr were first introduced into New Zealand from England in 1905 in the Mt Cook Area. Since then their numbers have grown to over 30,000 animals and their range spans from the Rakaia River to the Lindas Pass. The bull tahr begin to rut about the first week of May and go through to June. During this time you will find bull tahr in a big group of nannies and kids. This is a great time to chase tahr as they are seemingly oblivious to humans, but be sure to watch out for the nannies, they will be the ones you will spook and they will leave, taking your prized bull with them. You are able to hunt tahr all year round with the best coats being between March and September. vSpring time is also a very productive time with the new fresh grass growing lower in the valleys and the big bulls coming down to feed on this new growth. Some of the equipment needed: Correct rifles calibers. As the mountains are unforgiving, I suggest buying the best equipment you can buy. For a tent you will want a heavy duty alpine four seasons tent. For a sleeping bag you are going to want a four season sleeping bag with a rating of -5° or more. With cookers I don’t like carrying around the heavy propane bottles like the jetboil or similar. I use the MSR Whisperlite International and it uses white spirits as fuel and 1 litre usually lasts about 3 days. Along with all your hunting clothing, be sure not to bring cotton. If it gets wet and there is a little bit of wind, your body temp will drop extremely fast. I use the Lamellar clothing layering system and have found it to be perfect for New Zealand with their contracam camo pattern made for Australia it still fits in with new Zealand’s alpine scrub really well. With rifles you will want a relatively light weight rifle in calibers from about .243 up. We personally use a Tikka T3 lite in 7mmrem mag fluted barrel and bolt and suppressed with a leupold 4-12x40. Bringing your rifle to New Zealand from Australia is a well-drawn out process with several different forms to fill out on the Australian end and one in New Zealand. Skills and Safety: With any hunting you should be prepared for the worst possible case. In the mountains this is especially true. Between May and December there is snow on the mountains, so there is a real risk of an avalanche. You should have done an outdoor first aid course and avalanche safety, recovery and awareness. While going bush you will want to carry a personal locator beacon, a big first aid kit with extra strapping, pain killers and anti-inflame gel etc. Also you should look at buying or hiring a satellite phone. You will want to know how to cape, head skin and salt down your trophy bull or all your hard work could go to waste. Costs: Airfares to and from NZ are usually around $500-600 if booked a couple of months prior. There are a few costs involved when doing a DIY hunt. You could overlook such as hiring a car, buying your own food, accommodation, travel insurance, fuel for your cooker, getting all the necessary items before you leave Australia so your trip is a safe and enjoyable one. If you choose to use a helicopter, the cost is usually around $1000-1500 drop in and out from a good operator. Location: Tahr are located on the south island of New Zealand so you will want to fly into Christchurch International Airport which is an easy 3 hour flight from most east coast cities within Australia. Fitness and mental ability: Being in good fitness is going to make your hunt a hell of a lot easier and enjoyable. The mountains are big, very, very big, and the bull tahr like anywhere are around 800 to 2500 metres in altitude depending on which area you are. Being a guide I know how steep it is and recovering animals is usually a solo job as the client waits on more flatter ground, so you will have to have a good mental ability to know when you can push yourself and when to pull out. Also try thinking if you shoot an animal is it recoverable if it falls, if it gets stuck where it falls? The worst feeling is going to the trouble of getting a shot only to find you can’t recover it. Guided Hunts: A guided hunt can sometimes work out to be cheaper or similar to the price of a DIY hunt if you pick the right outfitter. Hunting with a guide, everything is organized. You don’t have to worry about being overweight coming through the airport with all the extra gear you will be carrying, getting your firearm through, organising food, your transport and everything else I have stated in the DIY part of this segment, but most of all you will know you will be going to a great area where the chance of a good bull is a lot greater than having a poke in the dark as such and all your money and hard work going to waste. Having a guide with the experience of mountain hunting you know you are in safe hands, it can be a deadly place and even the most prepared guides and people can sometimes get stuck. Thank you for taking the time to read my Post. If you have any questions about hunting NZ Contact me at Hunting New Zealand, Main Divide Outfitters free range new zealand will help out anybody who needs a hand. Cheers Tom
think your prices are a bit off, flights from here in Tennessee to there a couple months out are about 1 to 2K more. would be cool though
