Thread: Good helicopter pilots on south island

Appreciate all the great info, havent been on here for a few days so just getting back to you all.

I'll start with a formal greeting. My name is Ron Lee and I'm from a smaller population area in southern oregon. I'm 33 and have only hunted around my home range my entire life. In southern oregon we are pretty lucky to have pretty good Blacktail deer hunting and my hunting group (my family) have been pretty lucky hunting elk, bear, turkeys, and mountain lion here too.

Me and my brothers have been talking about New Zealand to hunt the mystical red stag our entire lives, so we thought, "well, better now than never."....So we bought plane tickets.

We are planning on a self guided hunt and mainly just looking for adventure and the stories we'll be able to tell. Dont get me wrong i want to get the most mature stag I can shoot on public with my bow though. If I'm lucky enough to get one then great, if not then this will be a heck of an adventure.

Were coming down in march and bringing our bows, the other guy thats coming is bringing a rifle. We are looking for places to hunt but I know how it is asking people, I hate it when local guys ask me where to hunt since I've put a lot of time and effort developing ways to hunt different spots based on how the animals behave. So I totally get it.

Im mainly looking for a good helicopter outfit that will get us back safe. But according to you alI I should pick a range to hunt first then pick a local pilot...not a pilot then a range to hunt( since there are so many pilots it sounds like?)

I appreciate all the info!

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For the cost of a helicopter hire you might be able to drive onto a private block where you can be guided onto an animal. It's not what I'd do as a local, but for you with a short amount of time (I assume) it might work out well. For example, a meat animal (probably a few hundred $?) might not be too much for your budget and you'll at least have something to show for your trip? Eg. https://monarchpursuits.com/
(I have no connection or knowledge of this company, just putting up an example)

Hi Ron, we will always welcome good decent ethical hunters to our country.

Bow hunting for a good red is definitely going to be a challenge. I know nothing about it.
I would say you would need to contact someone who has experience in this field.
Maybe others in the know will chime in.

Originally Posted by jakewire

Hi Ron, we will always welcome good decent ethical hunters to out country.

Bow hunting for a good red is definitely going to be a challenge. I know nothing about it.
I would say you would need to contact someone who has experience in this field.
Maybe others in the know will chime in.

Especially in open otago country.

ok first off contact Glenorchy chopper guys...AWESOME service and fair price


now the church story........as told by Geoff Vines
fella was captain of basketball team and an outwardly Christian...he walking down hallway and his team mates spotted him so said "quick its Geoff,put it away" so he goes in and asks why...conversation goes onto why he has beliefs he does...two guys very interested

anyway next Sunday the whole team turn up at his church...and the congregation looked down their collective noses at them......turned them right off


so in context......dont shoot a new fellow before he has had chance to even start to settle in....sometimes that first question might be a huge ask...and there have been plenty of gimmygimmygimmy folk around as of late...but please dont be too quick to shoe them away before they have chance to test the waters so to speak

for what its worth St Andrews church here in Geraldine is the complete opposite...always welcomed,kids run amock and some folk even wear camo polarfleece and still play in the band...shock horror...tis all good and accepted.

Appreciate the church story! Kinda sums me up right there. Not one to really boast and brag abouth things Ive done or lie about what I haven't. Also never done a the forum thing so my forum etiquette may be off.

I do have another question for everyone here... what is the ballot block thing about? Is that like a draw system for us in the states? I thought NZ was open to hunting year round?

I got a reply from the heli company and they asked me if i had a ballot draw? Im coming on march 20th and leaving march 30th so i have a good 8 days to hunt.

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a couple of the major hunting areas do get a balloted draw over the busy roar/rut period....heaps n heaps of land isnt balloted.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

a couple of the major hunting areas do get a balloted draw over the busy roar/rut period....heaps n heaps of land isnt balloted.

But most around queenstown is balloted due to the historical genetics drawing high numbers of hunters.

Given the time window I would be strongly suggesting you look to booking a guide and private land access. Just dropping in on any area first time is going to be hard work as it can take a few visits to learn where to find animals.
I use a guide when I head down south as being from up north with limited time is always a problem.
Have used a local company with access to large areas of free range Private and DOC concession land.
They take both Bow and Rifle clients but may require a competency demonstration from Bow hunters. (gives them an idea of how far/close you need to be for a clean shot)
Z
PS. has your mate bringing a rifle got his paper work for import and export sorted plus got his head around storage requirements etc while traveling.
Another reason to use a guide as they will often be happy to store your rifle while you sight see etc.
Not the sort of thing you can just leave lying around the hotel room.

pps. happy to pass on the name and contact details of 2 guiding outfits I have dealt with if you PM me.

Don't know what it's like in the south island but up here in the north island it gets very crowded in the DOC land during the Roar as every man and his dog is in the bush crashing around.
Another reason to find access to private land as you have a lessor chance of stumbling into other hunters. Even on private farmland friends on mine have had stray hunters roaring in at them.
Z

Wow, it sounds a lot like what we deal with up here hunting general season tags for elk. We have a few herds of elk in a about a 10 square mile area of public land and every one trying to bugle at them from all angles.

I'm not sure if the other guys can afford a guide or want to pay a lease to hunt private. I think we'd really like the backcountry experience on public any way.

We really just need to put a thumb down on some land that isnt ballot blocked thats open to public for hunting.

Thanks for letting me know about the ballot block stuff, I looked into it and im a little late to the game on that.



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Get intouch with Christchurch Helicopters.
Ask for a pilot called Luke, I have flown with him hundreds of times for work and hunting. Awesome pilot who is also a keen hunter.

OK here is my take on it for the little its worth.
IF you fellas want to come to NZ /Godzone and have a look around in some awesome hunting country.......just do it

come with zero expectations...you will come and have a look around,see some wonderfull country,hopefully see a few animals and any animal you do manage to shoot will be a huge bonus......
a good mate from Sweden came over for a year and worked on dairy farm...he went the other way and tried to shoot as many small game animals as he could....he got plurry near all of them and during first week of duckshooting season (first saturday in May) we managed to get him every waterfowl gamebird except 2.... a reasonable chamious,representative thar and both fallow and red deer without decent antlers...just meat animals.
it took me best part of a day before he managed to connect with a wallaby....

Im not saying you CANT/WONT come over and shoot a reasonable stag...someof us try most years and some even manage the odd time to suceed.... but if you come expecting to do so and dont,you setting yourself up for dissapointment.
the sugestion to book a private block arrangement with guide has merit,most have top notch accomidation and the whole rifle storage thing is a non issue.

I think Micky Duck has summed it up really well.
Plenty of public land to go around if you want to explore on your own. Look at areas and ask some questions here. ( not spot X but access, game numbers, huts etc)
The Different Guides can offer a range of accommodation all the way from budget basic cabins & tenting targeting local hunters on a budget all the way to private lodges and. super gold stags that no NZ hunter would put on his wall as they look hideous with the downward tines.
Z

There is friggin helicopter buzzing around Chch intimidating and harassing the public at nights, you are welcome to hire him and his chopper. Its got Police on the side of it, but Im sure if you landed it near the railway yards, it would be spray painted out within minutes. Good luck.