Red Stag Hunting
Whether you are red stag hunting in New Zealand, Australia or red stag hunting in Argentina, the answers will be pretty close to the same for all three of these southern destinations.
February: Red Stag normally start to come out of velvet into hard horn around the 3rdweek in February. Temperatures are normally warmer at this time of year as it is late summer south of the equator. Very little red stag hunting is done at this time of year.
February Weather: Lows in the mid 50°F and highs in the mid 80°F to low 90°F.
March: March 20th starts the first day of autumn and is pretty close to the beginning of the red stag rut (also known as the red stag roar). The rut can actually start +/- 10 days from the first day of fall if the mornings are cold and the afternoon’s hot. Hunting red stag during the “Roar” is a pretty exciting time hunt. The red stag are starting to stake out territories and gather the red stag hinds (female red stag) at this time. The Red Stag will “Roar “most mornings and evenings. It is not uncommon of most red stag hunting rifle shots to be less than 100 yards. This is a great time for bow hunting red stag too. Spot and stalk bow hunting should produce results in the 25-40 yard range. The stag will be in very good condition at this time of year.
March Weather: Lows in the mid 40°F and highs in the mid 70°F to low 80°F.
April: The First 10 days in April are probably the “Best of the Rut” for hunting red stag. By this time, the stags are roaring 24/7 and are not paying attention to anything but the Hinds and the encroaching stag competition. This is the best time of the season for bow hunting red stag. This is also a great time to rifle hunt with almost all shots well under 100 yards for the spot and stalk red Stag hunter.
The second 10 days in April (April 10-20) usually sees the most fighting between the red stag stags. These fights are often times to the death. Red stag hunters will notice more stags with broken tines during this time of year. The Roar is usually over around the 20th of April.
April Weather: Lows in the low 40°F and highs in the mid to low 70°F. Expect early morning fog and possible light rain.
May:This is post Rut (Roar) red stag hunting. Expect shot distances to increase to the 150 to 200 yard range as the stag are wise to the hunters at this time. Red stag hunting is more challenging now.
May Weather: Lows in the high 30°F and highs in the mid to low 60°F. Shorter hunting hours.
June: Expect shot distances to stay in the 150 to 200 yard range as the red stag are wise to the hunters at this time. Red stag hunting is more challenging now. June 20th marks the first day of winter. Shorter hunting hours.
June Weather: Lows in the low 30°F and highs in the mid to low 50°F. Shorter hunting hours. Expect snow at the higher elevations. First week of June it snows (historically) in New Zealand.
July:Expect shot distances to stay in the 150 to 200 yard range as the red stag are wise to the hunters at this time. Red Stag hunting is more challenging now. Shorter hunting hours. Most destinations stop red stag hunting at the end of July.
July Weather: Lows in the low 30°F and highs in the mid to low 50°F. Shorter hunting hours. Expect snow in the higher elevations.
August:Expect shot distances to stay in the 150 to 200 yard range as the red stag are wise to the hunters at this time. Red Stag hunting is more challenging now. Shorter hunting hours. Red Stag will usually start dropping their antlers during the 2nd half of August thru the first week of September.
August Weather: Lows in the low 30°F and highs in the mid to low 50°F. Shorter hunting hours. Expect snow in the higher elevations.
Now you know the best time to go Red Stag Hunting in New Zealand, Australia or South America (Argentina). Look for future articles on traveling with firearms to these same destinations.
