Thread: "Fritz" wants his first Tahr...

Hello,

I thought it might be a good idea to move that part of my introduction to this spot and open an extra thread for it.

Well, the plan is rather simple:

In April 2025 I want to come to New Zealand.
My sister spent a full year in your magnificent country (Te Ika-a-Māui).
My parents visited her.
Friends were there, too.
Everybody loved it...
Now it is my turn!

I will be staying four (to six) weeks.
The plan is to spend some days hunting on the South Island.
I want to get my first Tahr.
As stated in the intro:
It was Chamois for the 30th birthday.
It shall be Tahr for the 40.

I would really love to go hunting with some born and raised Kiwi hunters and just see how you do business down there.
I had the opportunity to do this in Scotland, Austria and South Africa for example.
I much prefer that to going as a "customer" with a big outfit.
The dream hunt would be four, five oder six days in it.
In the end hunting is as much about the outdoors, glassing and the people involved as it is about getting an animal.
I would love to hit a cabin somewhere and just go from such a "base camp".
No need for fancy lodges and stuff.

To make that happen I am very thankful for each and every hint or contact you are willing to supply.
It starts with paperwork: What kind of permints to I have to get in advance?
It continues with people: Who might be of help to talk to? Are there sub-forums or platforms where people link up for such trips?
As well as: What parts of the Southern Alps would be of special intrest for Tahr in April?

Also as stated in the intro:

I am hunting for quite some time now.
I hunted in other countries but always with local hunters.
I am realoading and quite fond of shooting rifles (BTW: All Tikkas by now. I saw they are also quite popular with you guys...).
I grew up in the Southern parts of Germany and now our Alps.
But I am no mountaineer or hill climber.
However, due to my upbringing and some years in the infantry, I now my way around the hills, outdoors, weather, rifles, maps, fire and such.

So, I know that I need help to make that happen. But I am pretty confident, that I will not be a burden on a hunt.

Ok. That is it for starters, I guess.

As said before: Any help is really appreciated!

Cheers
Ben

Sounds like you will do ok. Permit to hunt is easy and free. Plenty of places to go and buy posting up photos n stories of where you are and what your hunting will get folks from here to....get a gauge of you and will probably result in folks getting in touch with offer of help for when you get here. Welcome to the forum

Willkommen Ben. There are plenty of hairy goat (Tahr) hunters frequenting this forum and I am sure you will encounter some of them through this thread. Good luck with your adventure next year and please ensure you take time to prepare well and take care to not underestimate our high country.

april is deer rut season, if a tahr is your priority as stated then 1 st of dec is the time you should visit. im off down south tomorrow to do battle with bulls, ill be carrying an ilf recurve, the very easy way to travel the world of hunting without red tape.
something to think of for you, i use takedown arrows from SAS archery
hit me up if it tickles your taste buds

Hi Ben

I can't help you with getting a tahr, but I'm in the Southern end of the north island and could take you out for red deer and probably Fallow deer and pig's. just in case you don't get any other offers, but I'm sure you will. The stags are roaring in April, so most hunters are busy chasing the deer species at that time of year. If you are in NZ around the start of May then it will be the start of the duck hunting season also. We shoot a lot of birds and can take you out for that as well. My girlfriend is from Freiburg so we speak a bit of German in the house.

Thanks Bradley

Sent from my SM-S921B using Tapatalk

Gents,

thanks a bunch for the first lines and replies.

I hope that I catch everything that was said...

@Micky Duck I was wondering what I can post that does not bore you guys to death. As you have such amazing hunting opportunities. But I make sure to check the topics and add something here or there. And if it is maybe just an insight into the completely different hunting system in Germany. Permanent hunting leases with year round responsibility for game animals and the crop damage they cause... Thanks for that hint.

@Rushy As I said I am acquainted with our Alps and had some high altitude training with our mountain troops. Would never be arrogant and think I can handle your Alps alone in harsh conditions. That is exactly why I would love to link up with some more experienced hunters in that regard.

@SmokeyJason Thanks for the insight on the rut. Well, Tahr is main priority. But I do not need the biggest winter cape or a rutting bull. Acutally I try to get male quarry if it is not in the rut. The meat is just better. For me just hunting the landscape and getting a mature bull Tahr would be awesome. No need for a record trophy. Just want to have the experience, some nice meat and new memories...

@brad Thanks a bunch for the very kind offer that I can reach out to you! What kind of landscape do you hunt in? I have no idea what this stretch of the Northern Island would look like. Sounds awesome, too. Pushing the trip towards May is also an interesting idea. Thanks again! And Freiburg is also a very nice place to be in Germany... The Black Forest has its own merit.

Cheers
Ben

Depending on dates I’d be more than happy to help you try and secure a Bull I will send you a message this evening

Ben, weidmannsheil.

April can be a bit dicey to organise something as most people are out hunting for themselves, friends and family and already have set plans for the roar so the opportunity to be taken out will likely be less as April is a busy time with the roar.

April is also school holidays so that’s family time with the kids and the school holidays next year run 12 - 27 April so that’s something else to factor in when planning to come.

How are you travelling around, car, camper van?
Are you planning on bringing a rifle with you?
Are you just wanting to have one trip 6 or so days for a thar?
Any other hunting your thinking about?
Are you travelling both islands (North & South) or just the South Island?
Are you planning or thinking about some fishing as we have some awesome sea fishing here and after the first weekend of May it’s duck shooting season?

May is good weather although it is getting cold but generally the weather is good all the way to the 2nd-3rd week of June but there can be snow at any time, the snow does help to push the animals down lower.

Thar are referred to the kinds of the mountains and when you see them up high in some of the inaccessible country they wonder you’ll understand.

They are a beautiful animal and great to watch during the rut with there mating antics.

Each year I generally take the second half of April and whole of May off for hunting mostly for thar, chamois, reds and fallow so perhaps I might be able to help you achieve your dream but May is still some time away.

Originally Posted by Kelton

Depending on dates I’d be more than happy to help you try and secure a Bull I will send you a message this evening

Hello Kelton,

thanks a ton for reaching out to me.

I will use the info you kindly provided for sure.

Awesome!

Cheers
Ben

Originally Posted by Seventenths

Ben, weidmannsheil.

April can be a bit dicey to organise something as most people are out hunting for themselves, friends and family and already have set plans for the roar so the opportunity to be taken out will likely be less as April is a busy time with the roar.

April is also school holidays so that’s family time with the kids and the school holidays next year run 12 - 27 April so that’s something else to factor in when planning to come.

How are you travelling around, car, camper van?
Are you planning on bringing a rifle with you?
Are you just wanting to have one trip 6 or so days for a thar?
Any other hunting your thinking about?
Are you travelling both islands (North & South) or just the South Island?
Are you planning or thinking about some fishing as we have some awesome sea fishing here and after the first weekend of May it’s duck shooting season?

May is good weather although it is getting cold but generally the weather is good all the way to the 2nd-3rd week of June but there can be snow at any time, the snow does help to push the animals down lower.

Thar are referred to the kinds of the mountains and when you see them up high in some of the inaccessible country they wonder you’ll understand.

They are a beautiful animal and great to watch during the rut with there mating antics.

Each year I generally take the second half of April and whole of May off for hunting mostly for thar, chamois, reds and fallow so perhaps I might be able to help you achieve your dream but May is still some time away.

Also highly appreciated input! Thanks!

So far the plan is to get a rental that is big enough so I can crash in there if need be. Maybe 4x4.

I would love to bring my own Tikka but I do not know if it is worth the hassle. I will be traveling the rest of the time across country and somehow I do not think it is a good idea to sling around a rifle for no reason 4/5 of the time...

To be honest: I do not really get the third question. I am pretty much open to any setup that makes sense and gets me hunting in the hills and mountains. Like I said: Tahr main priority. Stag in higher country would also be an option.

I think I will leave it at this main goal when it comes to hunting for this trip. A) I need reasons to come again. B) My better half will join me for two weeks and we really like to check out some spots.

For me it will be North and South Island for sure. Not so much about the time when the Mrs is around.

As she is a teacher and bound to holidays it is likely that from 14 - 27 April there will be more traveling, hiking and sightseeing than hunting.

I have all the wiggle room in the world to make the hunting part match before 14 April or after 27 April... Whatever makes more sense.

Cheers
Ben

- Can't help you with a hunt, but in case you haven't seen it, the DOC map web page is really helpful in figuring out hunting areas, huts, tracks etc.

Use the dropdown menus to change between satellite/topo maps, select huts, hunting areas, and all the different track options for developed routes.

https://www.doc.govt.nz/map/index.html

- DOC hunting permits are easy. Basically it's a form to say you've agreed to not shoot at night, on private/closed land, or shoot birds. Takes ~5 minutes to fill out.

https://huntingpermits.doc.govt.nz/huntingpermits/start

- Import permit for firearms is time consuming and slow, so start early. They can drag on a bit between slow response times and questions.

The biggest hangup for most people is having someone in NZ who will sign off as a storage location. If you're coming off the flight and going straight into the forest, then coming straight back out onto a flight then you are never storing the firearm, but if you're travelling around they'll want someone local on the application. If you can find someone, then you're set. If you can't, gun stores in a central location (arrival/departure/hub cities around where you're travelling) will usually store your firearm for a fee.

If you're arriving in Auckland and catching a transfer from there, give yourself some extra time between flights. You'll have to clear biosecurity, and customs, then get your firearm released by NZ police. There have been one or two stories where there weren't any police available to do the paperwork and people ended up missing their flights. If you get through all that faster than you expected, you can ask AirNZ staff if there are any spaces on earlier flights, often they'll just bump you forward if there are.

There are a few hunters on here from Europe - see if you can find them to see how transiting through other countries works with firearms. It sounds like Australia sometimes treats transferring through Aus with a firearm the same as deliberately importing it into Australia, and I've heard the USA can be the same way. I don't have first hand experience with it, just heresay, but it might save you some headaches if you can find someone to walk you through the process.

https://www.firearmssafetyauthority....rearms-licence