Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game New Zealand Red Stag, Tahr, Chamois

Howdy:

Perhaps I should post this in the classifieds? Forgive me if this is the wrong place. A friend and I recently purchased a hunt package at a fundraising banquet. It is a really good deal, but we (especially I) have had some things come up and are having second thoughts.

It is a 5 night 4 day 2x1 guided hunt on the South Island for any of the above species, either free range or estate hunting. Also includes luxury accomodations and 3 meals a day.

Trophy fees are extra and are around $5000 for free range and about that for the estate hunts at a minimum, going up from there for stags over SCI 360, etc.

Cost is $3000 for up to 4 hunters(meaning $750 each), basically including everything once you arrive in NZ at the airport. This is about $8-10k off. I can provide details to anyone interested. A great deal of you were planning such a trip. Buyer has until May 2017 to hunt, with a trophy fee deposit due to lock in dates in the next 60 days.

Well...nobody took me up on this "offer", So:

Looks like I might go through with this hunt- any opinions, which would you choose Chamois, Tahr, or Red Stag? I have to decide...

stag

Stag first Tahr second. Cheers NC

If I eventually make it to NZ, which I do desire to do, I want to hunt Tahr and chamois.

big red stag during the roar if I ever get to go....

Many locals consider the Thar much like a Rocky Mountain goat, Regal in every sense, it must not be insulted with a shoulder mount. Full mount or not at all, so if you can carry that, then the Thar, otherwise the Red stag and the real trophy is a 10-12 point with 30"+ main beams, taken free range not a 30 point behind a fence that has been fed turbo charged Wheetbix all its life.

The Thar also spelled Tahr, is a rifleman hunters challenge as is the diminutive chamois pronounced "shammy" locally, which is technically incorrect, but the only way I ever heard it pronounced until I turned on a TV.

I think you will enjoy anything you choose. Have fun.

We are doing free range. I think 2 of us will do chamois and 2 stag. Should be cool.

No bad choice there. Enjoy your hunt.

You can't go wrong with any of your choices. Been there done that. BUT, I trust you are aware that the mountains are not called The Southern Alps for giggles and tahr or chamois on foot is not a walk in the park. I'm an antler freak so I would always take another stag.

Yes I know. I have done a lot of mountaineering, and I actually spent about 6 weeks hiking and climbing on the south island, and close to where we will be hunting-that was back in 1992, but I just had my knee fixed AND had Peyton-Manning style neck surgery, so off we go...

Interesting, outfitter said free range stags run 240 SCI for a really good one, estate ones are monsters, but a smaller free range one would be more of a trophy for me (but a euro mount Chamois would be a lot cheaper to bring home...)

Years ago, I hunted red stag at a high fence place in Ohio. I had a great time and the meat was most excellent!

Sherwood