Hunting Season & Climate
Hunting Season
Unlike most countries, New Zealand has no government imposed hunting seasons for Big Game Hunting. Our red stag hunting starts in February and finishes in August. Some species can be hunted all year round (tahr, chamois, goat, ram, and pig), but all deer species we generally only hunt while they have hard antler. We can hunt deer during velvet season too, which is December/January.
Climate
New Zealand’s seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere… when it's winter there, it's summer here! New Zealand's weather is very unpredictable. It can snow and rain at any time of year, so it's important that you bring good warm and waterproof clothing options for your travels. Average temperatures:
February & March: Summer with temperatures between 35ºF-80ºF
April & May: Autumn with temperatures between 32ºF-65ºF
June & July: Winter with temperatures between 28ºF-55ºF
When is the best time of year to come?
This is our most common question! We feel sometimes people put too much emphasis on particular months or weeks they think they need to be in New Zealand for, but we are lucky in that we successfully hunt all species throughout our entire hunting season. We are so confident in you being successful on your targeted species that we provide a money back guarantee on all trophy fees.
We recommend finding a time during our hunting season that works best for you to travel from work and family commitments. Continue reading for a breakdown of what the advantages are during different months of our hunting season, but keep in mind we are successful with all species from the start to the end of the season.
February - March
Great for early season antler hunting for Red stag, fallow and elk. You will see high animal numbers and be some of the first hunters for the season. Weather is warm and it’s a great time to tour more of our country before or after your hunt. These months are our most popular tourist holiday seasons for golf and visiting North Island beaches.
Backcountry fly fishing is great during this time if you wanted to incorporate it into your trip.
During March the Red stag will begin their rut…
Red Stag Rut
In articles and information online a lot of emphasis is placed on being in New Zealand during the red stag rut. Personally, we prefer the pre and post rut hunts as the stags aggressively feed and have patternable behavior, making them a bit more predictable.
During the rut, although it is nice to hear the animals, they are often unpredictable, making stalking or getting on a particular animal difficult, especially if trying to find the same animal the following day. We do not call the animals in during their rut, unlike other species in the rut in North America.
April - May
During April the red stag rut continues and halfway through April the fallow will begin to rut. Tahr and chamois will begin rut towards the end of April and have their winter coats. Both these months we expect a frost in the mornings then warming up to beautiful days.
April is the last month back country fly fishing is open. Also great months to travel more of the country, as the temperatures are a bit cooler as we move into Autumn.
Tahr & Chamois Rut
Often hunters target Bull Tahr for their full winter coat and thick long manes tipped with blonde. The tahr and chamios rut is generally May/June/July.
During our winter months (June/July), you can expect to be hunting in snow. This is a great time for these animals, as it’s easier to track them in the alpine and they have their stunning winter coats. For hunting all other species, we rarely get snow as we are more concentrated in lower hunting areas on the mountain.
June - July - August
During these months all animals are out during most of the day, feeding aggressively with predictable behavior. The tahr and chamois are still in rut and provide great hunting in the snow where they are much easier to find and have beautiful winter coats.
This is also an excellent time to fish our canal system for giant trout. Our ski fields will be open and you can plan to ski during your time in New Zealand if you choose.