New Zealand

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

Initially purchased this hunt in January 2018 to go in April 2020. Less than a week before I was to get on the plane, the outfitter called me to say that Prime Minister was shutting down entry due to covid. She asked if I wanted a refund, but I instead chose to wait until 2021. Well, 2021 became 2022, which then became 2023. I was beginning to think it was never going to happen, but sure am happy that I waited it out.

My wife went with me all the way to Queenstown, but from there we parted ways as she hung out there while my guide drove me three hours northeast to Kurow for what was going to be a five day hunt. My first target was going to be a red stag. My guide had a particular one in mind but cautioned me that he'd only seen him one other time since snapping these pics last March, so I shouldn't get my hopes up:

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

First morning we spotted these two inside 200 yards, which my guide said were too little. I would have been thrilled with either one, but my motto is to always trust the guide.

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

From that morning until early afternoon, we worked our way up and down several points, glassing into the brushy canyons below, and passed about ten more, pretty much any one of which I would have been thrilled with. I was beginning to think my guide was crazy. We'd crossed over another canyon to look back at the side we just been on when we both spotted some big antlers sticking out of the brush right next to another set of antlers that we'd already passed on. The brush was so tall and thick in there that all we could see were the tips of his antlers, but my guide exclaimed "That's him! That's the one we're looking for!" Problem was, from our vantage, we could not see any part of his body. But we snuck down the mountain a few hundred yards to a small bald spot on the ridge where it was open enough that I could set up in a prone position and then hopefully catch him stepping into an opening. And there we waited for the next 90 minutes, watching the tips of those antlers rock back and forth as he slowly fed around under that canopy. Occasionally, I'd catch of glimpse of his head, but on other occasions he completely disappeared, antlers and all, and we wondered if he'd given us the slip. Finally, he started working his way down towards the small stream below, and I lined up on a very tight window at 257 yards. Just as he started stepping into the window, my guide said "Take him when you're BOOM!! ready." The 150-grain bullet from the 300 WSM broke his near shoulder and exited his opposite shoulder. He jumped, ran 15 yards and tipped over. Walking up on him, I couldn't believe this stag-o-saurus was mine. Awesome feeling.

muleylover · Jun 2, 2023

Amazing, Its on my list and I was going to book for 21 but was hesitant with the Covid shutdown. Who did you go with? Been thinking about trying to book something for 24, just need to pull the trigger.

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

muleylover said:
Amazing, Its on my list and I was going to book for 21 but was hesitant with the Covid shutdown. Who did you go with? Been thinking about trying to book something for 24, just need to pull the trigger.

I used New Zealand Trophy Hunting, and yes, I would recommend them. Carla is awesome, and my guide Ewie's skills were on a different level than anyone I've ever hunted with. http://www.newzealandtrophyhunting.com/

JB1975 · Jun 2, 2023

Great stag! Thanks for sharing @mozey . On my list of trips as well.

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

Next up, I wanted to go for a fallow buck. We had seen several does and one small buck the previous day while glassing for stag, but otherwise nothing worth shooting. My guide said it might be too late in the year to find a good buck, because they all generally cleared out of the area after the rut, which was a couple months ago, and he had not seen a good one for several weeks. He decided to take me to a new area. At first light, we drove to the top of a hill, got out, he instructed me to glass down one side, while he glassed the other. In less than a minute he was hustling back to the truck to get his spotting scope. "I think I got one over on that next ridge!" Sure enough, got the spotting scope on him, and there was a nice buck browsing on the shrubs about 1,200 yards out. We grabbed the gun, crossed through a canyon and up onto the next ridge, closing the distance to 430 yards. Normally, I would not want to take that shot, but we had a herd of hinds and a couple small stags fighting in the canyon between us, so it was not likely we could get any closer without spooking them into him. So I found a relatively flat spot and got set up. Guide got the spotting scope on him, and again had to wait a few minutes for him to step far enough way from the brush where I had a good look at his vitals:

I actually missed about a foot to the left, but if you're gonna miss, this is the way to do it...

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

Next up was a Tahr. Normally this would be the most difficult of the three, but as timing would have it, I was right in the middle of the rut, and the bulls had come down to hang out with the nannies. I would have been willing to climb those peaks, but otherwise glad that I didn't have to. Day three, we were back in the first area where we had previously spotted a couple good bulls. This one had about a dozen nannies in his harem plus one other smaller bull hanging on the fringes. We had to belly crawl the last 50 yards to find a good shooting lane, but when I finally put the range finder on him, he was bedded right at 198 yards. Easy shot.

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

What's a visit to New Zealand without visiting the Shire?

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

I was ready!

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

I also took a meat fallow doe for the outfitter at 480 yards. I went four out of five on shots. Here is my one miss on a really nice bull tahr at 380 yards. I gave him a good hair cut, but otherwise it was a clean miss. I think at the time I started feeling the pressure of going three for three and got a little shakey.

JB1975 · Jun 2, 2023

Great stuff

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

Other NZ photos:

BradA · Jun 2, 2023

Wow congratulations! I would love to go hunt there one day. I have heard hunting tahr is like sheep hunting. You have been killing the bucket list hunts lately.

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

The other really cool thing that I got to do was hike a little bit of the 1,800-mile Te Araroa trail that runs from the top of the north island to the bottom of the south island. I'm seriously thinking about making an attempt on that starting December, and this gave me a chance to see a little bit about what it would be like.

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

BradA said:
Wow congratulations! I would love to go hunt there one day. I have heard hunting tahr is like sheep hunting. You have been killing the bucket list hunts lately.

I'm not an expert by any means, but from what I understand, that's normally very much true--it is very similar to a sheep or goat hunt. Unless they're in the rut, and my five days were smack in the middle of their rut, so I was hunting around some rugged cliffs, but not anywhere near the snow-covered peaks in the area.

RR2012 · Jun 2, 2023

Congrats on a great trip! Thanks for the write up.

Buzzy · Jun 2, 2023

Awesome adventure. Heading over there next March for a hunt and 8 day drive around the island. Any suggestions for sightseeing? Thanks

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

Buzzy said:
Awesome adventure. Heading over there next March for a hunt and 8 day drive around the island. Any suggestions for sightseeing? Thanks

Seems like it's all good to me, and it would be hard to go wrong no matter what you choose. I spent some time in Christchurch for work about 25 years ago, and I've heard that's changed significantly since the earthquake, but things are on the mend there. Some really nice sperm whale watching not too far from there.

A couple of Kiwis that I hiked with on the CDT told me that if I had to choose just one island, choose the south, and I think that's where I would spend the majority of my time if and when I go back. Queenstown is really nice. You can't drive to Milford Sound, but I'd still make sure to visit that place (seemed like Jurassic Park to me). Glenorchy is another very scenic area where several parts of LOR were filmed.

But both my wife and I also really enjoyed Hobbiton (and she's not even a LOR fan), and that's on the north island.

Disclaimer: we're old people so we like these sorts of things. If you're younger, it may not have the same appeal.

twdjr · Jun 2, 2023

Congrats on the awesome trip and animals!

NMPaul · Jun 2, 2023

The animals are cool and stuff, but, did you meet Samwise Gamgee?

mozey · Jun 2, 2023

NMPaul said:
The animals are cool and stuff, but, did you meet Samwise Gamgee?

No, but one of our tour guide/bus drivers reminded me of him...

One of his jokes was that the Kiwi Army was used for the Orcs, and several of them didn't need make-up. So I re-watched LOR on the flight home, and yeah, I definitely can pick out some Kiwi features...

Cahunter805 · Jun 3, 2023

Looks like you had a great trip! Congrats on the success and memories made.
That Red stag is awesome!! Are you shoulder mounting it?

Servehim · Jun 3, 2023

Mozey that's one amazing trip, thanks for sharing. So happy for you and your bride.

mozey · Jun 3, 2023

Cahunter805 said:
Looks like you had a great trip! Congrats on the success and memories made.
That Red stag is awesome!! Are you shoulder mounting it?

Yes--going to have them do a shoulder mount that can be mounted on either a wall or a pedestal. I initially planned to have the taxidermy done here in NM, but this outfitter has been so good to me that I decided to use their recommended one in NZ. Hoping we can get them all back in time to display in their booth at the next SCI Convention in Nashville.

PthLesTrvld · Jun 3, 2023

Absolutely amazing Wayne. Anytime I see you’ve posted I’m excited to read it! I was following your CDT adventure and enjoyed reading about the Alaskan goat hunt. Keep knocking em down and filling our hearts and minds with the memories; some of us are living vicariously until we can experience the same God willing.