Todd Cast with a great New Zealand Red Stag

As a hunting consultant, I have helped over a hundred hunters take their first New Zealand Red Stag Hunting trip.  When the client first start to make their plans, the most frequently asked question is, “when is the best time to hunt in New Zealand?”  The information in this report is based on my firsthand experience.  I have personally hunted the red stag “Roar” in several times in New Zealand and also in Argentina.  I have also hunted red deer outside of the roar on both of these continents as well. The biggest draw for New Zealand hunting is the red deer also known as red stag.   Most of the Outdoor TV Shows, hunting magazine articles and hunting reports focus their reviews around hunting during the “Roar.” 

The roar is the vocal sound the red stag make during their rutting period, similar in nature but completely different in sound than that of the Rocky Mountain Elk.  The “Roar” usually begins around the third week in March to the forth week in April.  This time period can change +/- 7 to 12 days by the weather conditions.  If New Zealand gets a cold weather front in early March, it can speed up the Roar. Warm weather can slow down the start of the roar.  Remember, New Zealand is south of the equator so the seasons are opposite.  Spring time in the United States is fall in New Zealand.

Red stag hunting during the roar is an exciting time to hunt and should be experienced at least once in a hunter’s lifetime.  The red stags will roar around the clock.  During this rutting period, the stag are establishing their territories, hinds (female red deer) and fighting rival stags. 

A rifle hunter should expect shots during the roar at well under 100 yards and bow hunters in the 25-40 yard range.  A good guide should be able to get the bow hunter within 25 to 30 yards of his target.  Blinds and hides can also be set up over mud wallows and trails offering shots at less than 35 yards.

Weather during the roar is usually like early September in the Rocky Mountains.  Expect the mornings to be cool, usually with lows around 40°F and high temperatures around 75°F and even possibly low 80°F.

Red stag hunting can be done on both the North and South Island from late February thru Mid-August.  In most cases, the stag will be out of velvet around the 20th of February.  The last ten days of February and the first two weeks of March, the red deer will be in the best physical appearance of the year and should have no broken antlers or missing tines.  The stag will start dropping their antlers around the third to fourth week of August. 

Red stag in New Zealand will start fighting with other stags shortly after the first seven to ten days in April.  Hunters will start to see some broken tines from this time thru the end of August.  Stags have been known to fight so hard with other stags; they have actually broken off the antlers at the skull plate exposing the stag’s brain.  When this happens, the stag usually dies shortly thereafter.

With this being said, the best time to bow hunt stag is during the roar, from late March thru late April.  The most premium stag hunting roar dates would be the first ten days in April.  Late February and early March and a great time to rifle hunt red deer and also a great time of the year to add some New Zealand fly fishing excursions.  Red stag can be hunted with a rifle during the roar but expect it to be an easier hunt than normal with most shots probably less than 100 yards.  Red deer hunting becomes more challenging from May thru August with average shots in the 150 to 200 yard range

The first week of June usually brings the first snow of the season.  Morning temperatures average in the mid to high 30°F and highs in the mid 50°F to low 60°F.  Late May, June and July duplicate the late fall and winter hunts we can experience in the United States.  This is also a great time to mix a red stag hunt with Tahr hunting or Chamois hunting.  The colder weather in late May starts the Tahr rut and is also responsible for the Tahr and Chamois to turn their winter coats darker in color.  The “lion like” mane of the Tahr will also be at its fullest length during this time of the year.

There are two ways to hunt red stag in New Zealand.  The first is known as “Estate Hunting.”  Estate hunts are held on large fenced ranches or stations.  These stations are usually quite large in size, from 2,500 acres to 20,000 acres or more.  The fencing allows the ranchers to manage the herds and genetics and also keep out local hunters and poachers.   Deer management in New Zealand has allowed the country to develop the largest red stag in the world.  Two New Zealand red stag harvested in 2010 scored well over six hundred inches and one was over SCI 650 inches.  There is one stag in New Zealand currently (Spring 2011) that is over 700 SCI.  All trophy class red stag in New Zealand come from Estates or Ranches.  The fences on these stations eliminate the term “free range.”  Most of these properties are extremely large and the terrain and flora make these hunts just as challenging as a free range hunt.

Traditional free range red deer hunting in New Zealand is available on both Government and private properties.   These properties may contain cattle fence but this doesn’t stop the stag from simply jumping over them and moving freely about.  Free range red stag are much smaller in antler size than the estate stags.  A trophy free range stag on private property will have 10 to 15 points and will score from 220 to 275 inches.  Due to hunting pressure and no real season for red stag, the public properties harvest smaller stags than those on private property.  It is very rare to see a “true” free range stag over 300 inches.   Some property owners will release 300 inch plus red deer on their free range properties.  These stag can usually be identified after harvest by looking for holes in their ears where a tag used to be.

With the general big game hunting seasons in New Zealand closing in August and the U.S. big game season starting in September, red stag hunting in New Zealand is a great way to extend your big game hunting season.

Global Sporting Safaris, Inc. based in Casper, Wyoming.  Global Sporting Safaris, Inc. is a Full-Service Booking Agency established in 1991. We have a staff of seven Red Stag Hunting Consultants and Fishing Travel Agents with a combined 175 years of experience. We hold Integrity, Ethics and Honesty in high regard and deal with each client in a one on one basis.