Thread: Any locals willing take a couple guys hunting?

There ya go boyz how’s that for a welcome
Nice one @Tentman

Originally Posted by Sideshow

Where you guys from in the states? What do you hunt there?
Do you have a few pics? If so would love to see them. I’m sure someone here will help you out and if they head your way latter I’m sure you would reciprocate

We’re from New Hampshire in the far northeast. I hunt wild turkeys and whitetail deer there almost exclusively on public accessible lands. The turkeys are the most opportunistic as they are in good numbers and are highly responsive to calling in the month of May. Whitetails are in poor numbers and are best hunted from treestands, as they’re extremely skittish in our dense forests while remaining almost completely silent. There are decent numbers of black bears about 3 hours north of where I live, but I’ve never hunted them as baiting is the recommended method which requires a thorough permitting system and a steady supply of replenishment. We also have a ballot system for moose, but due to severely declining numbers resulting from a disease called brainworm as well as insects called ticks we’re down to 51 permits total issued yearly among an average of over 13,000 applicants annually. A couple times over the past 3 years I’ve made the 5,000km or so trip west for the September wapiti bugle in the Rocky Mountain region. It’s an extremely tough do-it-yourself hunt due to competition from fair amounts of other hunters as well as natural predators like wolves and mountain lions, not to mention the steep terrain. I’ve been fortunate to have taken 1 bull with a bow in 3 hunts spanning a total of 5 weeks. We’re allowed 1 turkey each May season and they’re relatively easy, and I’ve taken several whitetails with both a rifle and bow. The really good hunting is likely best found elsewhere, such as the Midwest for whitetails. Some areas of the US can have great public land access like NZ, but they don’t always produce game. A strong majority of the best hunting is on privately owned property or found among the many ballotted areas.

Do you call the whitetail in? Also what are the heads like and body size in your area.
Shame about the Moose. you could have a go looking for ours.........last seen in 52

Originally Posted by Sideshow

Do you call the whitetail in? Also what are the heads like and body size in your area.
Shame about the Moose. you could have a go looking for ours.........last seen in 52

Generally speaking whitetails are not responsive to calling, but right around their peak rutting (breeding) action they can be enticed into closer distance with buck grunts, doe bleats, or the sound of antlers clashing in a flight. Most people hunt using treestands or ground blinds in the areas where deer are active just before going to bed in the morning, and the areas they come out and feed in during the evening.
As far as sizes go, where I live mature bucks are very difficult to find as folks pretty much shoot the first legal deer they see. Most of the annual kill is made up of 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 year old bucks along with some does. A mature buck can weigh up to 200lbs (90kg) field dressed, while the typical 2-1/2 year old is around 140-160lbs (65-75kg). The genetics for antler size is great quality, but most bucks aren’t given the chance to grow to 4.5-5.5+ years old. Whenever an older buck does slip through several years of hunting pressure, on occasion he can turn out to be something truly remarkable. A good buck scores 130 SCI or so (we use the Boone & Crockett scale) and a true giant would be 150+.

shame you aren't in the north island , could have helped you out.
Good luck with the search you guys have a bloody good attitude , im sure someone will be around in no time to help you out

Wow, the positive feedback here has been wonderfully refreshing. It almost makes my trip to experience the goodwill, kindness, and support from fellow sportsmen in their own habitat. We’ve been up past Lake Pukaki in the Mt. Cook area for the last 2 days. Hiked in a few kilometers up a slip before taking a minute to pull out binoculars and have a look up the valley slopes. My brother caught some movement up high so I quickly got some glass focused in his direction and sure enough a trophy-sized bull tahr was about 1 kilometer almost straight up above us. As I watched for several minutes, 1 other bull and 3 nannies joined him in the open just above the snow line. Very exciting to see that there indeed does exist wildlife down here! Darkness that evening and then the rain, snow, and 70-80km winds we were in up in the valley today have kept us from making the 4 or 5 hour climb up.

Originally Posted by hikeandhunt

Wow, the positive feedback here has been wonderfully refreshing. It almost makes my trip to experience the goodwill, kindness, and support from fellow sportsmen in their own habitat. We’ve been up past Lake Pukaki in the Mt. Cook area for the last 2 days. Hiked in a few kilometers up a slip before taking a minute to pull out binoculars and have a look up the valley slopes. My brother caught some movement up high so I quickly got some glass focused in his direction and sure enough a trophy-sized bull tahr was about 1 kilometer almost straight up above us. As I watched for several minutes, 1 other bull and 3 nannies joined him in the open just above the snow line. Very exciting to see that there indeed does exist wildlife down here! Darkness that evening and then the rain, snow, and 70-80km winds we were in up in the valley today have kept us from making the 4 or 5 hour climb up.

Did you see Tentmans post/receive his PM?

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Did you see Tentmans post/receive his PM?

Can’t use pm function until you’ve made a certain number of posts?

Originally Posted by MSL

Can’t use pm function until you’ve made a certain number of posts?

Oh maybe.

is your 29th departure a definite date or could you wangle a further week in CHCH.??just thaty if you buggers do i may be able to sort out a day trip on wildfowl if youre interested

Unfortunately, the 29th was a definite, and we find ourselves this early morning back on US soil. Responsibilities beckon ��. But who knows, with the variety of game available, plenty of helpful locals, and motivation remaining perhaps I’ll find myself back down in NZ for another roar in the future. Thank you to all who responded, and I wish I could somehow return the favor!