This a bit of a long read but i promise it a good one, this is a article i wrote for the guides that is being printed in several magazines.
i will be working on posting pictures and it will take a bit to get them on hear.
A little background on how this trip came to be. It all started on February 25, 2008. My girlfriend of 4 years, Natasha, and I took a trip to Seaside Oregon. A beach town, about 5 hours away from our home In Goldendale Washington. Little did she know that on this trip she would become my fiancée. It was the afternoon of the 25th and it was a beautiful day, we had been having a great time together. Since we had been spending so much time together, I had stashed the ring in the car before we left. I could not get to the car to retrieve the ring, though, without Natasha asking what I was doing. While sitting on the couch with her, she said that it was time for a nap before going out to dinner. I almost messed up blurting out, “Yeah, that is a great idea!” After a surprised and weird look, she headed for a nap. My time was at hand, I waited about 30min before heading out to the car. I snatched the ring from the flat tire carrier the only place I knew she would not look. I dashed back up stairs, hiding the rings under the couch. A while later she woke up and we went to a great dinner, came back to the apartment and got settled in. Then came the big question. I had ankle surgery about 5 weeks prior so I was still in a walking boot, and when she was sitting on the couch, I went over and tried to kneel in front of the couch. Much to my surprise, it was impossible to kneel with the boot on so I had to propose on two knees. After many kisses, hugs, and tears and of course a yes, we were engaged. We set a date of May 3, 2009 and the following months of planning the wedding and her finishing school were now in front of us. Shortly after returning home, we started talking about honeymoon destinations. I had never flown on a plane before and said I never would. However, after a few bribes and a lot of begging I decided I would fly. However, I told Natasha in that same breath that I was not flying halfway around the world not to be able to shoot something. She said that was fine as long as she could shoot something too. So became my search for the perfect honeymoon place. I had dreamed of going to New Zealand for red stag since I was a young boy. So it was decided that New Zealand it would be. After many long hours on the computer, I was able to find a booking agent that got me set up with Wilderness Quest New Zealand. We set a date of May the 8th-12th and after our wedding and a very long series of plane rides, we were standing in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was the 7th of May and after taking in several tourist attractions, we headed for our hotel for a good night’s sleep. The morning of the 8th was upon us, and Jonathan Christian, owner of Wilderness Quest New Zealand, was there early to pick us up. Along the 3 hour breath taking ride through lord of the rings country, we learned of the many other animals and adventures that he had to offer. While listening to him talk I thought to myself Jonathan is a great person and is going to be a great guide. Little did I know he would also become a great friend to me and my wife. After arriving at the lodge and meeting Zion, Jonathan’s cousin and cameraman, we got a quick bite to eat, shot our rifles and headed out for an evening hunt. Our main goal was a bronze stag for my wife and a gold stag for me. I had learned that they offered wild boar hunting and I have always wanted a big boar and said if the opportunity presented itself I would really like to take one home with us. We got to a high vantage point where we could see a good distance. After spotting several fallow bucks and some arapawa rams, we located a stag. The stag was estimated to be in the bronze class so Natasha would be first up. After a long stalk around out of site of the stag, we were able to get above him. Natasha got set up on the shooting sticks with the stag bedded 100 yards below us, she took her time and squeezed of her first shot hitting the stag right behind the shoulder. He managed to rock to his feet and she chambered a second round and placed it perfectly behind the shoulder again. With a few sways back and forth and only going about eight steps, the stag pilled over in to a creek below him and the screams of excitement began. We made our way down to the stag and he was a beauty. He had 18 points, great crowns and large mass. What a trophy! We knew he would be a top bronze, but later after Jonathan had scored him, he went into the silver class. He scored 313 5/8. We caped him out and decided with an hour or two before last light, we would head farther back up the mountainside. Hearing stags roaring in the distant hills was all the motivation I needed to keep going. Coming to another vantage point overlooking a valley, Jonathan said to me, “Matt, there is a big boar.” Man did my eyes light up! After finding him in my glasses, he was a big jet-black boar in the range of 250-300lbs. While putting together a stalking plan before last light, the wild boar of my dreams stepped out. A massive silver and white boar with huge white tusks gleaming in the fading light emerged from the cover and walked next to the other boar dwarfing him in size. We quickly took off down the hill where the boars were heading toward a valley with a creek. After getting a glimpse of them in the brush, a mere 60-70 yards away, we moved down a bit closer to a gap in the cover where we anticipated the boars to cross. As we got there, I pulled my shooting sticks out and went to sit down. While in motion, I saw a black head pop out about 50 yards away, quickly finding the cross hairs in my leupold. The black boar chopped his teeth, spun and headed downhill. As soon as he did, the silver boar followed. With a hard quartering away shot, I let my Sako 300 win Mag bark, striking the boar through the vitals. I chambered another round and the boar dashed for cover, I took off on a run after him. In getting to where the boar stood, I saw him a bit below me, cutting through the cover. He was going straight away from me. I took a running shot off hand at about 60 yards, striking the boar through the back hip and continuing forward into the vitals. He then turned toward the other boar going across the hill and I quickly chambered a third round. The boar was about 60-70 yards away on the move but I got the cross hairs on his vitals and sent my third 180-grain nosler partition right through the top of his vitals and breaking the opposite shoulder. The boar buckled with the impact. I had done it; another one of my dream animals was now mine. After some great pictures showing the boars 6” long tusks, we headed back for a wonderful dinner and a good night sleep. The second morning started great with many animals to be seen but no gold stags. The morning was becoming early afternoon and a glimpse of a stag ahead going through cover sent my heart racing. The chase was now on. Jonathan got a good look at the stag going through an opening and declared has was one for me. The cover was so high off the ground that every time I set up for a shot, I could not see through the cover for the shot at his vitals. After three or four attempts, the stag started downhill, heading through an opening. Knowing this was my golden opportunity, I got set up for the shot. With a roar from Zion, the stag came to a stop at about 150 yards away. The 180-grain partition was on its way. The bullet struck the stag through the lungs. With a jump and a kick, the stag turned and my second 180-grain partition was sent with deadly accuracy to the point of both shoulders, instantly taking the stag from his feet. With many very loud war hoops and some fast running to my trophy, I had my gold metal stag in my hands. He scored 336” and is everything I dreamed of in a stag mass, width, height, and huge crowns. 22 points in all. We had come for two stag and we now had two stags and a boar with several days of hunting left. During the next two and half days, I was able to harvest a management fallow buck with my sako at 168 yards. Natasha harvested an arapawa ram with her rifle. Then I switched to my trusty pse x force set at 75lbs with an Easton FMJ arrow tipped with an Innerloc broadhead. I was then able to harvest a trophy arapawa ram, a management arapawa ram and a feral goat with my bow. We came for two and left with eight. Also, I harvested five pheasants, eleven hares, a pair of paradise ducks and several other pest animals. Our time at Wilderness Quest New Zealand will always be remembered. Not only as our honeymoon, but also as some of the best hunting in our lives, first class people, second to none accommodations and awesome trophies.
