Extremely Southern State ******** Ram versus Hemtragus jemlahicus

[CoryTDF]

Thats it! New Zeland is now on my to do list. My wife went there about 6 years ago and loved it.

[nzhuntinginfo]

Wild Red Stags

The wilderness Red Stags have been quiet now for several months but they have not yet shed their antlers.

This is the Red Stag shown approaching me in the above pictures (at about 20 meters).
It took one look at me, snorted and then bolted over a distant ridge.

I wonder if it has yet fallen to a helicopter hunter.

[CoryTDF]

I wonder if it has yet fallen to a helicopter hunter.

Really? You can hunt them in helicopters? Thats a little unfair.

[nzhuntinginfo]

Mate I think "a little unfair" is an understatement.
Helicopters take deer in New Zealand as part of venison recovery operations for overseas markets.

However, the chamois in recent years have been largely untouched because over the last few years no European importers have offered profitable contracts for chamois meat.

Chamois, like this one taken last week, offer great sport often in challenging terrain.

[Wanttohuntmore]

If I was to ever move away from the US, New Zealand would be top of my list!  Hunting and fishing paradise.  I would love to go there and do a DIY hunt/fish trip, but wouldn't know where to start.

[CoryTDF]

Mate I think "a little unfair" is an understatement.
Helicopters take deer in New Zealand as part of venison recovery operations for overseas markets.

However, the chamois in recent years have been largely untouched because over the last few years no European importers have offered profitable contracts for chamois meat.

Chamois, like this one taken last week, offer great sport often in challenging terrain.

Man that is absolutely beautiful! Would love to get my boots on that soil someday. And that is a fine looking animal.

[nzhuntinginfo]

When hunting tahr the question is always whether you're onto a trophy or not.

This animal is probably around 4 years and not a mature bull....you can tell by the colour of its pelt, body bulk and the shape of its horns.

But by getting above him I'm in a superior position.

Tahr don't seem to worry about danger on the mountainside above them so coming down is the ideal approach.

[nzhuntinginfo]

Bull Tahr

Some of the bull tahr have grouped together now, although they're still staying close to their nannies.

These ones  got a whiff of us and we didn't get a chance even for a long shot.

We watched them climb a mountain and then disappear around a ridge...to follow them would have been both too hard and a waste of time.

You can see that the one at the rear is a mature bull while the other two are less than four years old.

[nzhuntinginfo]

Wild Animal Behaviour    Alpine Game

This fellow recently photographed in the Canterbury high country knows that something's up so he's following his instinct and looking downhill.
New Zealand doesn't have any natural predators for chamois but this sort of response to danger makes you wonder about the tactics of the chamois' natural predators in Europe...me thinks climb high and jump although you wouldn't want to go over the edge here. There's a genuine 1000 ft drop below.