When the first settlers arrived from the British isles, they looked to New Zealand as the promised land, hoping for a new life in a new and fertile country. Of great importance to them was to do away with the British system of private ownership of game and fish. They wanted to make sure that the right to hunt and fish was the birth right of every person.
So our great-great-grandfathers formed organisations such as the Acclimatisation Society and set about importing much of the wildlife that was common to them in their homeland. Some species they acclimatised turned out to be most undesirable and, to this day, plague New Zealand, such as the humble rabbit. To be fair, they had no idea that wildlife, released into a virgin, sub tropical environment would adapt and expand at such an alarming rate. As a consequence we have gorse, rabbits, stoats and blackberry and they cost us dearly every year in tying to keep them under control. Apart from that, they did do us some great favours which, to this day, we sportsmen are forever grateful, such as releasing many different deer and game species.
Guided hunting in New Zealand
If you intend to hunt in New Zealand at some stage, then plan plenty of time for sightseeing and bring plenty of film. There are no problems bringing a rifle in. Just tell customs when you arrive and they will have a police officer issue you a licence for a small fee. It is most advisable to bring your current firearms permit or licence with you. Firearms themselves are not registered, the owner is.
It pays to employ a guide for obvious reasons and there are a number of full time professional hunting guides available. It is wise to employ a member of the New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association, but many good and competent guides choose not to be involved in such a body. However, from your point of view, Association members act under a strict code of ethics and safety plans. You also have a national body to which you can refer any complaints or problems and the Professional Hunting Guides Association has a disciplinary committee with wide powers.
Guides are required to have First Aid certificates, passenger service licensed vehicles, medical checks, police vetting, proper authority to hunt on the lands on which they guide and extensive knowledge of head skinning and trophy preparation.
A hunting permit is required if you wish to hunt on conservation land. This way hunters are informed of any pest control operations happening in the area they are hunting and the Department of Conservation (DOC) can keep track of how many people are hunting in each area for safety reasons. If you are taking a hunting dog with you (dogs are not permitted in Tongariro National Park but may be taken into Kaimanawa Forest Park, Erua and Tongariro Conservation Areas) you must produce your dog registration to staff at the reception desk.
What we can provide
Although Wades Landing Outdoors does not specifically participate in the hunting industry, we can through our extensive network,
provide exclusive access to a 2000 acre private reserve as well as 4 state forests.
Detailed local knowledge including access points, animal numbers and type of hunting can also be provided. All permits & permissions can be arranged for you as well as transport to and from hunting blocks. Maps can also be supplied on request.
Through our association we can arrange:
U hunt or Guided hunts
Free range hunting
Private estate hunting
Wildlife photography
Specialized goat hunting
Goat, Pig, Fallow, Sika and Red Deer hunting are the target species and Rabbit shooting is also available. Meat animals are available all year round and Trophies from March to August. Bow hunters are most welcome.
Packages tailored to suit all budgets that cater from beginner to expert can be arranged. For reasons of both safety and increased chances of success - hunters are limited to 2 persons per guide. Hunting is available all year round. Best times are spring and summer, (October - February). The 'roar' is late March, early April.
Common Deer Species
Red Deer
Reds are common over most of the country except for some isolated areas and occur almost wherever any land is in bush and on scrub areas of large farms. They are still in large numbers and can be hunted at any time of the year without licences or permits, although a hunting permit is required to hunt on Department of Conservation land.
Average trophies in the wild are nowadays 8-10 points, with a number of 12 pointers about 35 inches long shot each year. They are very vocal during the roar and are usually stalked by following the roar or brought to the hunter by
emulating the roar. They inhabit dense bush country and in many cases the shot is taken at 25 yards or so. Every year, hundreds are shot that exceed the average. Guides generally hunt safari parks or protected herds on private land. It is usual to find visiting hunters free range wild trophies of 10 and 12 points plus but with few guarantees of success. An example is the stag shown above. This was true wild bush stag. However, these animals usually stay well hidden until the roar when they are at the most vulnerable. The safari park hunts tend to obtain much larger trophy heads with a guarantee of success.
Sika Deer
Once released to the wilds of the Central North Island they colonized in record time. Within thirty years they had taken over an area of several million acres and driven out the resident red deer. Today, sika inhabit all of the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Mountain ranges and much of the fringe country. They have a distinct liking for dense scrub and become most difficult to hunt. This herd of sika would be the largest and most important herd available to hunters worldwide. Like the other deer, their antlers exceed anything grown in their home country. They are a most sought after trophy and exist in large numbers. Antlers grow to eight points (with
some exceptions) and anything twenty-five inches long or over is considered a good trophy. Sika are a pretty deer, being slightly smaller than red, and have a small petite face. They are also considered to be one of the most cunning of all deer species.
Fallow Deer
Again these deer had their origin on English parks and from those bloodline releases some exceptional trophies are to be had. They inhabit several areas of both the North and South islands and in fairly substantial numbers. Most good trophies are shot from Safari parks. The wild stags vary a lot in quality and the herd are best known for palmation are in the Blue Mountains of the south island. There is also a large herd in the North Island at Wanganui which produce some good trophies. However, a lot of these stags tend to have split palms. A number of smaller herds occur all over both island.
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