As a NZ hunting outfitter, or any hunting outfitter across the world will tell you it’s not uncommon to get inquiries of people looking to come film a show or high profile client. Outside of the industry you may not realize that this often means unpaid hunt in exchange for publicity.
That was not the case here…
Luke Combs and a few of his friends came down this month to experience hunting on private land with New Zealand Safaris. From the beginning of our conversations it was clear, this was as much about going off grid as it was to experience the New Zealand hunting on private land. In my experience, Luke Combs is a true ambassador of not only hunting, but the country way of life. A humble man thats still very down to earth. Many people in his position find it hard to switch off from being world famous but it was a true privilege to show Luke Combs and friends a great hunting adventure with New Zealand Safaris and to be trust that his security and privacy would be maintained at all times. Over the years I have hosted many people that wanted to be able to get away from their busy life and be able to enjoy the South Island of New Zealand with family and friends. A true legend as a country singer it was like having old friends down to hunt, and being also privileged to be invited to spend the day with Luke Combs back stage on one his shows was an amazing experience and a true insight to see what its like when your the worlds leading country singer. We look forward to seeing Luke Combs again and giving the guys another great experience, at New Zealand Safaris its as much about the experience of the hunt as it is about the trophy animals we hunt on private wilderness land. These huge properties are have exclusive access to are still second to none In the industry. If you want to start planning your high quality New Zealand Safaris now is the time to get in touch.
April sees the start of the Fallow Deer croak or rut for Fallow Deer in New Zealand and typically will go through to early May. The Fallow Bucks make a noise similar to that of a bull frog, attracting the females. Unlike many other deer species Fallow Bucks will return to their `Rut Pad` or make their own and stay there during the mating season, the female fallow called `does` will then travel to their favourite or local rut pad to mate with the bucks.
Typically during the fallow deer croak the older females will bring in the younger females which starts the cycle of where they go to mate each year during the croak. Fallow Deer are unique because they have different colour phases of coats which is very unusual in the deer world. Fallow Bucks are sought after for their antlers which have palmation like that of a moose. The largest population of Fallow Deer in the Southern Hemisphere is in South Canterbury, New Zealand near the town of Fairlie. Most of the land is privately owned, the properties that are correctly managed have bucks that when harvested have antlers which are some of the largest in the world.
If you’ve never heard the Fallow Buck croak sound check out this recent video.
For more information on our Fallow Deer hunts click here or send us an email.
