Tag Archives: New Zealand

Hunting Waterfowl and Chamois in New Zealand

Relaxing in a duck blind with a six-pack of cold ones, some BBQ, and a colorful collection of hunters in a foreign country… They say there are better things in life, but not many. This was another one of my New Zealand adventures, albeit, a much tamer one. In the company of other New Zealand hunters, I waited in a duck blind on the southern coast of New Zealand. Our game was waterfowl and we looked out on a saltwater marsh separated from the South Pacific by a rocky berm.

We shot 80 or 90 ducks from our blind that day. When we were done, shells littered the wooden floor and my ears rang with the echoes of shots from my Beretta and the other shotguns. Our take was a combination of mallards and paradise ducks. Paradise ducks are a particularly interesting breed because they mate for life, and, unlike most other breeds, it is the female who has the most colorful plumage. Continue reading Hunting Waterfowl and Chamois in New Zealand

Hunting Tahr in New Zealand

Hunting in New Zealand - Image of huntersOn a hunting trip to New Zealand. I started my expedition at 3:30 a.m. in the cab of a 4×4 pickup truck, or ute, as my guide called it. My guide was a native New Zealander, a highly experienced hunter and his assistant a British man, an experienced mountain climber. We had all of our gear unloaded and ready before dawn broke. We had a long day ahead of us.

Most people accessed the area by helicopter because of how rugged the area is. However, the small animals located near the base of the mountain, usually tracked by helicopters, were not my intended game I had my sights set higher on the larger animals which resided near the summit, the Tahr, large Asian Ungulates closely related to wild goats. Continue reading Hunting Tahr in New Zealand