Thread: Which calibre for tahr?

Originally Posted by R93

I reckon they're dumber than goats personally.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Cant comment, never met one

From the videos I've watched and magazines I've read, they always seem to come across as a really majestic animal that takes a lot of skill to get then you come on here and they are dumb goats

They are beautifully adapted to their environment. You need to see them to believe how they can scoot across rock walls, leap onto ledges and plough through snow. They are wonderful animals in my book. I really respect them.

They almost seem trusting to me, like they never imagine that we are going to shoot at them or harm them. Especially the young bulls and female groups.
But the good bulls don’t get to be big without also being smart. They are smart enough to mostly avoid me, anyway.

But mainly its the environment and where they hang out that makes them so challenging.

My experience is that any sensible deer calibre is adequate out to reasonable ranges. Really, the only way that you could improve your 7-08 for them is by cleaning its barrel every now and then.

They generally get big from hiding in scrub and then letting their dick do their thinking, like most males and then find themselves in trouble.
Thar are only majestic in looks and country they habitat imo.
They would have to be the dumbest and easiest of game animals to secure a trophy in Nz.
I have seen heaps of 13"+ bulls just in one catchment over the years that my 8 yr old daughter could shoot.
I have body shot mature bulls at several ranges with a 55 gr slug with no problems. 7mm/08 would have to be more than adequate.
Sorry if that offends some purists but that is my honest observation of the species and I have spent plenty of time hunting them and will probably continue to do so.


Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[QUOTE=R93;290372]They generally get big from hiding in scrub and then letting their dick do their thinking, like most males and then find themselves in trouble.
Thar are only majestic in looks and country they habitat imo.
They would have to be the dumbest and easiest of game animals to secure a trophy in Nz.
I have seen heaps of 13"+ bulls just in one catchment over the years that my 8 yr old daughter could shoot.
I have body shot mature bulls at several ranges with a 55 gr slug with no problems. 7mm/08 would have to be more than adequate.
Sorry if that offends some purists but that is my honest observation of the species and I have spent plenty of time hunting them and will probably continue to do so.


Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk[/QUOTE

I rank a Trophy Tahr (13" pluss) as one of the harder game animlas in the country ...who takes crampons ice axe,s and mountaineering rope to chase deer !! iv taken a few people out to shoot them and some freak out and dont have the nerve to tackle the steep terrain which all adds to the thrill of the chase ...all animals have there weak points i mean what do you call a deer standing infront of a spotlight or coming to feed on crop every evening as hunters we exploit there weakness thats how we become good hunters...i wouldn't label any of our game animals as being dumb iv certainly seen our species doing far dumber things than any Tahr !!...now which gully do you speak of for those bulls )

Have to agree with r93 that tahr would be easiest one by far. If you need iceaxes all the rope etc to go get good tahr your going in the wrong place mate my miles. . . .

Dedicated trips for bull tahr would always see 50plus mature bulls easy as. Hell see more then that in some mobs

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

That mite be so but just because there are a lot of animals around doesn't make them dumb infact the opposite ! last couple of trips iv done have seen farely good numbers but still havent shot anything over 13" for quite a few years....maybe im looking on the wrong side ...or maybe the tahr are coming lower over your side of the hill too eat that famous westcoast thunder making them easy targets!!

They are dumber than a bag of hammers.
If you cant find big bulls over your side what makes you think you will on the coast?☺


Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

going by the last couple of posts there must be big numbers of trophy bulls getting around over there asuming u guys are from the coast..always wanted to go for a shot in that neck of the woods.

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

going by the last couple of posts there must be big numbers of trophy bulls getting around over there asuming u guys are from the coast..always wanted to go for a shot in that neck of the woods.

Sigh....... Boaraxa, mate, stop feeding the trolls!, the bastards just grow!

Yup! The old I can't find a decent bull so nobody else could possibly have more of a clue of where and when to find one pretty easy, eh!
If you are genuinely wanting to shoot a trophy bull and haven't hunted the coast, it pretty much sums up your knowledge of the animal for me.









Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

So here’s the thing. Our own cock always looks smaller to ourselves because we are looking down on the thing.
Really, we have nothing to prove.

At 66 I hunt the east coast now because its easier. I hunt Tahr because I like their meat, because their skins make beautiful rugs, because they live in some of the most beautiful country in world and I like the challenge of the country. To me a trophy is secondary but I will take one if it presents itself. Because I’m not chasing a trophy, I see less of them.

I agree with everything that has been said. Tahr can be a bit silly. If I wanted a trophy, I would head to the west coast. The only thing that would probably stop me from getting one would be physical limitations. But I’m quite happy pottering around amongst them on the east coast, thank you.

I’ve shot many of them with a .243, 308 and a 6.5x55. Any sensible calibre will do.

So if you get above Bull Tahr,looking down on them there horns will appear smaller

ACTUALLY. It goes Deerz>Tahr>Chamois>Adam

I've only recently got back to hunting Tahr for exactly the reasons outlined by Tahr above, on the same side of the hills - onmlky difference would be I'd have to give him 12 years to make it even.

They are not easy animals to hunt due to terrain and habitat, but they are easy to shoot. For some reason they are hard to kill, but as far as I've seen the calibre and power of the cartridge makes bugger all difference.

By way of example . . . I took some young guys for as shot recently. Climbed them up to the tops. Found a nice well grown but young bull, 180 metres away. Shooter was using a 7mm mag with 175 gn boolits, cant remember what they were but it doesn't matter. The Tahr was in the head of a very nasty gully that we'd had to leave animals in the bottom of on a previous trip - to dangerous too retrieve.

So we had a good look at this boy, and after a bit of as discussion thought that if he could be bowled on top as a big flat rock he'd be safe to get. Shooter lined up and placed the shot well, right though both shoulders as instructed. Tahr spun 360 and dropped on the spot - dammed good shooting I thought hit hard with a lot of energy.

Did it do us any good - NO. 5 min later he gave a bit of a reflexsive kick, that tipped him off the rock and down into the knarly stuff he went.

After that little episode I decided that I'd be quite happy to continue shooting them with my 250 Savage - more power and boom wasn't really gonna change many outcomes.

As always it seems to me that a calibre you can shoot really well is best !!