Thread: Draft of a "New Zealand new hunters/visitors Guide" for consideration

Retrieving alpine trophies in New Zealand.

This is maybe the single most dangerous thing you will do in NZ.

Yes you can shoot that Bull Tahr or Chamois Buck, but can you safely retrieve it ?

This is likely the thing that catches out more foreign hunters than anything else.
There are just so many hidden dangers.
Even animals shot at a modest distance can take a full day to recover.
Have you got the time, skill and gear to safely retrieve that trophy ?
If you are carrying climbing gear do you know how to actually use it.

In 2009 I shot a bull in Southwestland at 330m in the late evening.
The following day it took 8 hours from where I shot to get to the bull, take the head and cape and return to where I shot it from.

It is extremely difficult to realistically judge travel times in these places if you aren't experienced in this type of terrain and vegetation

I shot 2 Chamois last year but could only recover 1. Hunting solo meant no way was I going to try and scale that bluff, I had been a fairly proficient rock climber 20 years ago too.

Even tracks with a decent amount of use can grow over quite quickly.