NEW ZEALAND Hunting

General Information about Hunting in NZ

New Zealand Hunting Season

The New Zealand deer hunting season is from mid February to mid August. Our recommended average hunt duration is between four to seven days. We recommend you arrive at you hunting accommodation one day before your hunt begins, to allow you to settle into the surroundings before we start you on your hunt. The hunting guide(s) will assist you to bench rest test your rifle, to be sure your sight adjustments haven't altered during your international flight.
Throughout the year we can provide hunting for tahr and chamois. For information on Trophy Fees click here

The roar / rut : The most popular time for deer hunting is during ‘the roar (or rut)’. This is when the stags are most vocal, calling to attract the attention of mates and to protect their territory. The roar lasts approximately four weeks, with the middle two weeks when the stags are most vocal. For red deer it is generally from the 20th of March to the 20th of April (fallow and whitetail are later than this). This is a guide only as regional variations of a few weeks occur from year to year.

All our Hunting tours are custom designed to meet the needs of individuals or small groups. If you are interested and want to know more, please feel free to contact us. We can organize a packaged hunt just for you.

NZ Travel and NZ Firearm licence requirements

The main international airport to Lake Brunner is Christchurch International Airport, where you can acquire licences for your firearms. Licences are issued by New Zealand Police at any airport entry into New Zealand for all sporting firearms, except handguns, which are illegal. The recommended rifle calibres for New Zealand are from .243 to .300 magnum. There is always a NZ Police officer available at New Zealands International Airports to tend to your needs. Your visitors firearm licence will be issued for a small fee and covers all of New Zealand. From your point of entry into New Zealand our domestic airways can transport you to the nearest airport location where we can meet you and transport you to the Lake Brunner Sporting Lodge.

Recommended Clothing

Because you will be hunting in spectacular alpine country and winter conditions, we recommend you bring warm winter clothing. Although our winters are sunny and dry, we do have clear, frosty mornings and depending on the month, the ground is often blanketed in snow. We recommend you bring waterproofed leather boots for use in alpine conditions. You should also have a change of clothing available.

Shipment of Trophies

Trophies can be mounted in New Zealand by local taxidermists or freighted out of the country.

For trophies to be mounted we can take you to an experienced Taxidermist where you can arrange for the cost of mounting and freight. For trophies just being freighted out of the country, a surcharge of US$100.00 will be made, per trophy. This covers the cost of materials and labour to build a strong crate, the preparation of trophies for shipment, securing the proper shipping and documentation to accompany the crate and delivery to an international shipping agency.

Note: All shipments will be on a "freight forward" basis of payment.

Transport

QUEENSTOWN

Queenstown is directly accessible by road and air. The local airport of Queenstown is nearby and Christchurch City is an eight-hour drive.

AIR TRAVEL: The closest International Airport to Queenstown is Christchurch International Airport. The Queenstown local airport is serviced by both Air New Zealand and chartered aircraft. Queenstown is only a 15km drive from Queenstown Airport and there are various flights per day arriving and departing mainly from Christchurch City and Auckland City.

Direct flights are available between Australia and Queenstown.

Air New Zealand National and Link offices -- 6.00am to 10.00pm Mon-Sun. Call Phone Toll Free 0800 737 000 (within New Zealand) or visit their website www.airnewzealand.com
Transfers are available from Queenstown Airport.

PALMERSTON NORTH

Palmerston North is directly accessible by road and train. The local airport of Palmerston North is nearby and Wellington International Airport is only a two-hour drive.

DRIVING TIMES TO HUNTING AREA (not including sightseeing times):
Palmerston North to Hunting Area: 35-minutes
Wellington City to Hunting Area : 2 hours

AIR TRAVEL: The closest International Airport to Kanuka is Palmerdston North International Airport & further away is Wellington International Airport.
Air New Zealand National and Link offices -- 6.00am to 10.00pm Mon-Sun. Call Phone Toll Free 0800 737 000 (within New Zealand) or visit their website www.airnewzealand.com

Local Climate

DAYTIME (Average) MAX. TEMPERATURES for Queenstown:

January 21°C, 70°F
February 21°C, 70°F
March 20°C, 68 °F
April 15°C, 59 °F
May 11°C, 52°F
June 09 °C, 48 °F
July 09 °C, 48 °F
August 11°C, 52°F
September 14°C, 57°F
October 18°C, 64°F
November 19°C, 66°F
December 20°C, 68 °F

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