Hunt Red Stag in New Zealand

2024 / 2025

New Zealand Red Stag Hunt

2024 - 380” - 420” Stag Only $6,000

2025 - Only $7,000

INCLUDES 1 FREE Observer!

Hunt Includes:

• 3 Full Hunting Days
• 4 Nights 4-Star Lodging
• One FREE Observer
• All Meals, Beer, Wine, and Beverages
• Field Prep of Trophies
• Delivery of Trophies to the Expediter
• Free Rifle Rental
• R/T Airport Transportation from Nelson

Trophy Fee Included for:

• 1 Trophy Red Stag 380” - 420”

Hunt Excludes:

• Airfare
• Before and After Hunt Accommodations
• Helicopter if necesary
• Sightseeing Tours
• Spirits

Additional Observer Fee - $175 / Day

Stag Upgrades Available

• 450” - 500"  Add $3,500
• 500” - 550”  Add $9,500
• 550” - 600"  Add $16,000
• 600”+  POR

This is a fabulous deal on a trophy red stag hunt in New Zealand. The larger stags are thousands of dollars less than the competition. I have booked multiple clients here in the past and the hunts all went well, and the hunters left for home having taken wonderful trophies. This is the best deal I know of in New Zealand and is sure to sell out each year.

The outfitter only takes one group at a time, the season is limited, and you don’t want to miss this deal. Every hunter should make a trip to New Zealand to shoot one of the largest antlered animals in the world. The scenery is stunning, the country is safe, and it is a trip you will not forget.

The Red Stag Hunting Area.

The area where your red stag hunt will occur is in the mountains a few miles outside the town of Geraldine on New Zealand’s South Island. The area consists of Mountains, hills, and valleys with some fast-flowing rivers traversing the area. The hills are steep and the fauna is thick and prolific. The South Island of New Zealand has a unique look to its forests, and this is a terrain and landscape that you will surely remember.

The Red Stag

Red deer were introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s and 1860s. With no natural predators, the stag population expanded rapidly and forced the government to begin an aggressive culling program. Hunters lobbied the government to implement a hunting program and for several years, red deer meat was harvested from the wild for export to Europe and other markets.

Beginning in the 1970s, red deer were captured and placed on farms for breeding purposes. Today, a large industry exists that raises red deer for velvet and meat. Selective breeding has resulted in bloodlines that now exceed 800”, and it is expected that we will see stags exceeding 1,000 inches in the future.

Red Stag Hunting Seasons

Red stag hunts are available from mid-February through mid-July.

Red stag starts dropping their antlers during the last week of July.

The stag roar is from late March to early April.

If a hunter wants to hunt a red stag in combination with a tahr, forget the roar and hunt from April 20 onwards to the middle of July, as the Tahr coats are in their prime then.

Trophy Red Stag Hunting Methods

Trophy red stag hunting takes place on fenced estates. There is either a large area with stags and hinds that form a self-sustaining red deer population or an estate where stags are bought and released for the hunting season. Some of the stags will escape the hunting pressure and survive from year to year.

A typical day hunting for a red stag will involve driving to select spots and glassing for a suitable trophy. Once a trophy is located, a plan will be made to stalk to within a shooting position. Care must be taken to down your stag in an area where it can be recovered. The meat may or may not be harvested because of the very large breeding industries on both islands of New Zealand.

New Zealand produces the largest red stag trophies in the world and some bargains still do exist to be able to take the stag head of your dreams home at an affordable price.

The Red Stag Hunting Lodge

During your Hunt, you will stay at a 4-star lodge nestled in the mountains with a great view off the patio. The lodge has 3 client bedrooms, and a separate toilet and shower area. The food is excellent and you have both cell phone service and internet at the lodge.

Chamois and Tahr Hunting

Chamois and Himalayan Tahr are also available on this hunt. Both of these species may either be hunted on foot or with the use of a helicopter to access elevated remote regions that these animals favor. The outfitter does have special areas where you can hunt on foot without being in tip-top mountain shape. For those of you wanting the exhilarating experience of using a helicopter to ferry you up into the mountains, that style of hunting is available. The views are quite spectacular. Helicopter prices run around $2,000 / hr.

Additional Huntable Species

Arapawa Rams, wild goats, wild boar, and Merriam turkeys are also available on his estate. The vegetation in this area contains a mite that causes many of the beards to rub off and appear negligible.

Estate elk are also available in another part of the island.

Available Rental Rifles

Kimber Mountain Ascent .270 with Swarovski 1.5-10 x 42 Lighted Reticle Scope

Tika .270 with Swarovski 5-25 X 52 Scope

Salo .270 2-7 Varipower Karls Scope

Taxidermy

The outfitter uses Barry Ryan – High Country Taxidermy for taxidermy and expediting.

Your animals will be caped in the field and transported to the skinning shed for final prep and freezing. They will typically be transported in a frozen state to the taxidermist within 30 days.

Getting There

You will fly into Aukland New Zealand and clear immigration and customs. Then you will take a short flight to Nelson on the South Island, where you will be met by the outfitter and transported a 2-hour drive to his hunting estate.

Your departure airport will be from Nelson if you are just hunting red stag. If you are adding Tahr or Chamois, the logistics of the hunt and where on the island you take your last animal may determine what airport you will return to Aukland from.

This is your chance to get a trophy New Zealand Red Stag at below-market rates. Why not make a trip to the South Pacific and Hunt Red Stag in New Zealand?

DEPOSIT POLICY

A 50% deposit is required to book this hunt. The balance is due in US cash, bank wire, or credit card (a 3% fee applies) at the end of the hunt.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancellations will forfeit the deposit. Hunts may be rescheduled once with a minimum of 3 months’ notice, at the discretion of the outfitter. All rescheduled hunts are subject to a $150 administration fee if allowed by the outfitter.  The rescheduling fee is to be paid directly to the booking agency. All requests to reschedule should be directed through the agent.

EXCLUSIONS:  International and Domestic Airfare, Before and After Hunt Accommodations, Trophy Expediting, and Shipping Services, Helicopter Fees, Export Documentation, Taxidermy, Ammunition for Loaner Rifles, Gratuities

Hunt # NZ-DB-Red Stag