Hey everyone, this is Jason. I wanted to take a few minutes to enlighten you with ALL of the details about our recent hunting adventures in New Zealand. Warning, this is a long post.
First off, let me start by saying that the South Island of New Zealand was absolutely beautiful. The rural feel of the country was very inviting and a welcome change of pace. With very little industry outside of agriculture, life truly seems to happen at a slower pace there. The countryside is littered with sheep, cattle, and red deer farms. It is safe to say that I think Alaina and I may have found our future retirement home!
Since my hunting season this past year was limited, I was very anxious to put on my camo and hunting boots. Our Red Stag hunt took place outside of the sheep farming town of Fairlie, which is about three hours southwest of Christchurch. Our trip could not have worked out any better as the Red Stags were in full rut. During the rut, it is not uncommon to see a herd of hines (does) followed closely by a dominant stag. So, our guide had us glassing for deer with binoculars and spotting scopes on the distant mountain faces as he did a bit of "roaring" in an attempt to exchange roars with a dominate stag that may have been in the area. The "roar" is a very deep mating call, which can be heard from quite a distance and used to fend off inferior bucks in the area.
The first morning of the hunt all five of us (Alaina, Ryan, Jill, Scott, and I), including the guide set out to scout and glass the mountain faces and valleys for deer. With so many of us that morning, I didn't have high expectations for killing a stag. Alaina on the other hand, was hooked from the very first morning! We saw quite a few hinds and Fallow deer and we even heard a few stags roaring off in the distance. At our last glassing location that morning, my buddy Ryan spotted a monster Fallow buck, which peaked Alaina's interest. Since it was only the first morning of the hunt, our guide suggested we ease on out and check back later that afternoon.
So, we started the afternoon hunt in the same area where we spotted the nice Fallow earlier that morning. Alaina decided that if we saw the buck again, she would try to take it; but, she didn't want to compromise Ryan and I's chances of killing a stag in the process. While glassing the hills, we actually spotted the same Fallow buck as well as two other nice Fallow bucks, which were fighting through a fence. (The Fallows are mean and feisty little mammals.) According to our outfitter, the Fallows actually fight and may kill the much larger stags. They are the only member of the deer species that will fight until their death.
While looking at the Fallow buck, our guide spotted a stag down in the valley. After getting a good look at the stag through the spotting scope, we decided that he was a shooter. But before the pursuit could even begin, I had to run back to the truck to grab the larger rifle, because the rifle which we were carrying was suited for the smaller stature Fallow.
Finally, after loading the gun and ranging the stag, the chase was on. The buck was about 600 yards from us so Alaina, Scott (the guide), and I snuck down (sometimes crawling on all fours) the hillside, so I could get within shooting range. I knew that Scott and I could make it down the hill without too much commotion, but Alaina on the other hand, I wasn't so sure. You would think with all of Alaina's athletic ability, she wouldn't have any problems making the trek--that wasn't the case. She must have fallen no less than ten times while trying to keep pace with us. In her defense, I did not make a wise investment in her hunting boots as they are just waterproof tennis shoes. As expected, while we were sneaking down the hill I looked back a few times to see her and her camera in the midst of a small rock avalanche. Luckily, she was out of sight from the stag and didn't spook him. Once we were finally able to get within roughly 300 yards of the stag, the guide was afraid to get any closer in fear that the deer would wind us. I found myself a bit nervous about taking a 300 yard shot, since it had been a while since I last shot a rifle. Because I primarily hunt deer in the woods, a 100 yard shot is typical, but 300 yards would just as well been a mile. The .300 Weatherby was well suited to handle the distance, but my nerves were a different story.
After a bit of repositioning and collecting my composure, Scott belted out a "roar" and as soon as he did, the Stag turned broadside, giving me the perfect shot. I took a deep breath and then squeezed off a shot. Through the scope I could see the Stag stumble and I knew I had fired off a good shot. Not taking any chances and fearing the he would get up and run off, I fired again just to make sure he was finished.
Just as soon as the smoke cleared, I raced downhill, completely spent to check out my trophy. There was no ground shrinkage to be had with this stag; instead, I was pleasantly surprised at the mass and size of his rack. Alaina soon met up with me downhill to admire the stag, but not before stumbling a few more times along the way in the briar brush. Once we finally collected our breaths, we were able to take in the most beautiful sunset fading against the mountain backdrop for a perfect ending to a dream hunt!
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| This is what it is all about! |
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| Besides hunting, Alaina did a lot of this on the trip. |
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| It was a big relief to have this big boy in the bag. |
Alaina's First Buck
Alaina's Fallow deer hunt took place on the outskirts of the town of Alexandra on a large rocky, sheep ranch, which stretched thirty-six kilometers in one direction. The square area of these ranches are mind-boggling. Theoretically, if the ranch we hunted was 36km x 36km, it would be over 320,000 acres. The area that we hunted was far away from any type of civilization. There was one point while we were glassing, that the silence hit me--it was deafening. There was absolutely no sound to be heard. No airplanes overhead, no traffic in the distance, no industrial sounds...nothing. I have always read stories about hunting in areas where this is possible. It was like being in paradise for me.
Alaina's hunt was much more of what I expected in terms of hunting in New Zealand. There were very few roads on the property and the hunting was much more physically challenging. We spent much of morning hiking and glassing along the rocky hillsides/mountains with our guide, Gary. Early on we saw quite a few Fallow hinds on distant hillside faces, but nothing that we wanted to pursue. With such vast countryside, you really have to pay attention because you can never tell where a deer may be bedded.
While walking to another vantage point, I just happened to look up a hill where a Fallow buck was bedded down approximately 500 yards away. We gave him a quick look through the binoculars. He was definitely a shooter buck; but, could we get close enough for Alaina to get a shot off without getting winded by the deer? We decided to back out and circle around to see if Alaina could get a closer shot. The only problem was that the buck was bedded in a small saddle that would require getting extremely close to get a shot. I didn't think we would be able to get into shooting range without spooky it.
In typical fashion, the buck was bedded with the wind to his back and he was facing a direction where he could see for a distance. We had to make a large circle to get the wind in our favor and then Alaina and Gary had to stalk up behind a group of rocks in front of the buck. I held back out of sight and videoed their stalk as Gary and Alaina closed in on the Fallow. I honestly thought that the buck was not going to be there. You can imagine my excitement when I saw Gary peaking over the rocks only to drop back down and begin setting Alaina up for a shot. She stayed on Gary's heals in anticipation of having to make a quick shot.
Once Alaina set up in her shooting position, it seemed like an eternity before for anything happened. I could see Gary whispering and motioning to her to pull the trigger, but she did not listen. It turns out that the buck was only 60 yards away, yet the rifle scope was still on 12x magnification. She was having a tough time finding the deer in the scope. Once she found the deer in the scope, she didn't pull the trigger because the buck was facing her. Gary was telling her over and over to squeeze the trigger, but she knew in the back of her mind that she wanted a broadside shot. He could not understand why she wasn't shooting and was fearful the deer would run off. I guess Alaina had actually learned a thing or two from previous hunts with me when I have told her about taking a broad side shot instead of a risky one. She was steadfast and patient until the perfect shot presented itself.
The Fallow didn't know what to make of them and was beginning to get nervous. The deer barked at them and while turning to run, he showed Alaina that front shoulder and she was spot on with the .25-06. Once we reached the buck, Alaina was super excited to see that the Fallow had a beautiful spotted coat rather than a full chocolate hide. According to Gary, most of the Fallows in this area are chocolate. So, Alaina will have a head mount and small Fallow rug to show for her hunting experience in New Zealand. I am sure both will end up in my "man cave'' though.
After all of the hours and days that we have hunted together with limited results, I was so thrilled that Alaina finally tagged her first buck. I must say that a part of me wanted her first buck to be a Whitetail, but there is no way that I can complain. Not many hunters I know can say that there first buck was taken on New Zealand soil, except for my bride. I am truly blessed to have my best friend as my wife and that she expresses an interest in the things that I love. I know there are many husbands out there who would love to share in the sport of hunting with their bride, so I consider myself one of the lucky ones I guess. The only downside is that my hobbies cost me twice as much money...LOL. It was all worth it!
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| Alexandra, New Zealand |
My buddy
Ryan Mahan had quite a successful Red Stag and Fallow hunt as well. Alaina and I watched Ryan's stag hunt play out through the spotting scope on top of a hill. It was definitely a great hunt to witness. We all left New Zealand pretty excited about our trophies.
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| Ryan carrying his stag like a true Kiwi |
A very special thanks to our guides:
Scott Thomson and
Gary Oakes for the hunts of a lifetime.
