Since their introduction, free to thrive in an environment rich with vegetation and free of large predators, New Zealand has become a global destination to hunt the world’s best trophies.
New Zealand Safaris gives hunters the choice of hunting free range red stags, or our exceptional fair chase red stag all on our private, long term leased land. Based out of Fairlie in the central South Island our hunting is conducted on some of New Zealand's most iconic high country cattle and sheep stations (ranches). These properties vary in size and vegetation from 3000 acres of rolling hills with native timbered valleys that is home to our fair chase stags.
Impressive antler mass, long even lower tines, heavy main beams with great crowns they are a sight to see. Each day we leave the hunting lodge after a great breakfast and head out glassing and spotting stags and assessing the quality of each deer and what each individual client is looking for.
We score the stags on the S.C.I inch system from 300-500+ (except for free range stags scored per point), seeing between 15-30 mature trophy stags in a day. Your guide will give you an indication of what score he will be, as we are focused on what the client likes in antlers foremost. If the stag goes over that score break the client is not obliged to pay an upgrade unless previously discussed, it's about the hunt and what our client likes over score.
From there we plan our approach to get into a suitable range between 80-250 yards and take time to make the shot. Bow hunting on these guys will get your heart pumping with average shots at approximately 40 yards where we can use cover, calling, and blinds to get in close. This is also great for non-hunters to take part in the hunt and capture some amazing photos from the mountains to the ocean.
This property also has outstanding fallow buck, ram, and alpine goat on it.
Red stags can be hunted from February to August with the rut being March to early-May. During the rut the red stags ‘roar’ and challenge each other for dominance. If the guide calls a stag that goes over that class you will not be charged.
