Thread: NZ vs USA hunting style

Hey guys,

Watching hunting shows like Meat Eater, and well known american hunters social media you see the big differences between the "kiwi way" and the "american way" when it comes to hunting deer. I understand that Hunting in the US is highly varied by area and target animal - but for this example American White Tails seem to be hunted mostly from stationary hides - especially in areas with thicker bush. I don't know much about NZ White Tails - but most deer hunting in NZ is either bush stalking or longer range open ground / clearing hunting - and obviously those lucky enough to have wild animals on their farms to Harvest.

Why is it that things like hides and tree stands aren't common in NZ?


Another interesting element is that Americans have harvest tags and seasons to protect animal numbers through management. The tags system and the tax from hunting equipment in the states funds the animal management and hunting area maintenance etc etc.

Kiwis are impatient and can’t sit in a tree for more than five minutes.

A big difference is in the US the game animals are native, not introduced. If we hunted keruru, kiwi, takahe and tuatara I’m sure they would all have a comprehensive management plan.

Originally Posted by Cigar

Kiwis are impatient and can’t sit in a tree for more than five minutes.

A big difference is in the US the game animals are native, not introduced. If we hunted keruru, kiwi, takahe and tuatara I’m sure they would all have a comprehensive management plan.

Totally agree

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Hunting on stewart island, my modus operandi is more american (dare i say it) walk 10-20mins find a good spot over a clearing or good feed with nice visability usually under 200m. Wait for dark then walk home or pull out the maxtorch if in private land and the freezer is empty

The second element is relating to the game animals being native to america vs 'introduced pest which needs removing as it dmages the native fauna.....'

Originally Posted by 223nut

The second element is relating to the game animals being native to america vs 'introduced pest which needs removing as it dmages the native fauna.....'

Yeah I understand that all game animals in NZ are introduced - and some would like to see them removed entirely... Especially Sage and her lot.
I (and I'm sure most here) would love to see some numbers increase, and perhaps a management plan that worked more on quality improvement as well wouldn't go astray (Wapiti have this in place I believe). Just food for thought. I'd like to see White tails in the North Island myself

Not been to either NZ or USA *yet* so take with a heavy pinch of salt.

USA, no point talking about it as a whole, each state has different laws that can vary wildly. Some like California are pretty strict (all lead bullets banned) whereas in places like Arizona and Texas way more lenient (semi-auto's or even full auto for hogs etc.).

NZ, no large game is native so you pretty much have it made. Free hunting on public land, year round. Lucky bastards!

Might be an optimist but I want to move to NZ for some of that free yet hard hunting.

Here in Scotland you get anything from urban Roe deer in a local wood to Red stags on Highland sporting estates.

Good luck getting any ground to hunt on though, you pay a huge premium usually!

Both USA and NZ have a more 'DIY' approach whereas over here things are much more closely guarded. By law the animals belong to no one but in practise they do, as every square inch of land is owned either privately or by the government (which does not mean the public, and the government don't really want Joe Bloggs to be out hunting!).

There is a lot of factors to this, I guess.

First of all: a totally different approach to hunting/game in general. Being classified as pests game is eradicated by rigorous means in NZ - in the US game is managed as a valuable resource. Introduced species in NZ vs native species in the US.

Terrain: Hides and tree stands are mostly common in eastern US states (typical whitetail states). In the western states the terrain is similarly rough as in New Zealand and most hunting is spot and stalk. There are similar differences in Europe: In Germany's flat country most deer hunting is done from blinds. In the Austrian Alps spot and stalk is at least as popular.

Land Ownership: Blinds are most useful on private land, like in the eastern US states. On private land you typically have a rather small but well-known area to hunt - without competition by others. On public land (a lot of NZ and western US) you have so much country to explore that blinds will rather benefit other hunters than yourself.

Length of season and bag limits: In the US hunting seasons are pretty short. Tags are limited and legal animals are clearly specified. You typically do a lot of pre-season scouting, use trail cameras aso. On opening morning you know where to sit to find your one animal. NZ has 12 months of hunting so you can hunt whenever you want without any pressure to be successful - there's always tomorrow. And there's no limit regarding number, size, sex or whatever.

Kiwi attitude: My impression is that Kiwi hunters have some sort of "keep it simple" attitude towards hunting. Minimal gear but great physical efforts. American hunters tend to be gear nerds. (I am not intending to criticise either of both attitudes as I like both.)

My 10¢

I'm discovering that "hunting" in 'merica, means often, a different thing, than does the term "hunting" in NZ and OZ.

It transpires that what we Kiwis think of as hunting, in NZ and OZ, is what 'mericans call "spot and stalk"

We, go out into the bush, the mountains, the hinterlands and quietly roam about, looking for, finding and shooting, game/pests.

'mericans drive their trucks up to their hunting area, walk about 200 metres and either, hide in a blind, or up a tree, sometimes for days, until an animal comes to the automatic feeder, that's been there for months, feeding out each day, so as to attract the animal.

And worse, they go to fenced farms and shoot animals raised specifically for the shooting thereof.

That's not hunting, that's sitting.

I prefer the NZ method.

Yes and no that’s certainly some of it but not all of it, different species different methods a lot of people hunt from a tree stand for whitetail on Stewart island like they do in the states and to my understanding elk hunting is all spot and stalk in the USA to ,To my understanding

Originally Posted by MarkN

My 10¢

I'm discovering that "hunting" in 'merica, means often, a different thing, than does the term "hunting" in NZ and OZ.

It transpires that what we Kiwis think of as hunting, in NZ and OZ, is what 'mericans call "spot and stalk"

We, go out into the bush, the mountains, the hinterlands and quietly roam about, looking for, finding and shooting, game/pests.

'mericans drive their trucks up to their hunting area, walk about 200 metres and either, hide in a blind, or up a tree, sometimes for days, until an animal comes to the automatic feeder, that's been there for months, feeding out each day, so as to attract the animal.

And worse, they go to fenced farms and shoot animals raised specifically for the shooting thereof.

That's not hunting, that's sitting.

I prefer the NZ method.

Yeah nah maybe.

It’s a funny post and it conjured up some memories I have of sitting in the stands with obese and incredibly flatulent “hunters” waiting for something to turn up to the free buffet they’d spread all over the ground. But to be fair it’s way too generalised a way to describe hunting in America mate. Simple fact is there’s every flavour of hunting under the sun in America, and most committed hunters will be use several different methods according to species, season and law, and in particular they will almost certainly be highly enthusiastic fisherman.

My cuzzies in America would laugh until they hurt if they thought it was assumed they sat in a stand all season. Hunting for them is a trek with pack horses, and a shit load of very hard miles on their feet, slogging up and down, up and down, and it’s always the freeze-your-testicles-solid kind of cold. And they are required to be very fussy about what they shoot, so not impossible for them to come home empty handed. I’ve done a few predator hunts in winter with these guys, and I’ve never known cold like it, and have no particular desire to experience it again... -20°C with a solid breeze anyone?

Agreed, tree stand hunting for whitetail in typical North Eastern woodland habitats is an acquired taste, but geography / climate / seasons / flora pretty much determine what can and can’t be done. If you’ve been in those whitetail woods of Pennsylvania for example, you’ll know what I mean. Good luck trying to stalk in there. Every footfall is a crackle and snap, there’s no foliage to hide you in season and you stand out like dogs balls.

Everything is determined by where you are. Every state has different laws and laws within each state will vary by county / park. Simple fact is the settlers from the late 1700s to early 1900s did their level best to eradicate most large mammals from the continental USA. They only just got away with it, and if they didn’t have the extremely restrictive controls on hunting today then there wouldn’t be anything left. Today game densities are still relatively low in both America and Canada. I was talking to a relative in Alberta just a few days ago and showing him some video of what I’ve been up to here, the amount of feral game animals we have running around here is mind blowing to him.

I’m quite partial to a bit of sitting from time to time. Well actually I would describe it as lying in mud and sheep shit, hiding in rank grass and thistles, overlooking the bush edge waiting for something to come out. It certainly isn’t the most exciting form of hunting but if you know your ground it can be very productive! Fact is if I was to try any other method in those specific locations I would 90% of the time go home empty-handed... so you do what you need to do to make sure you bring home the venison.

Originally Posted by MarkN

My 10¢


And worse, they go to fenced farms and shoot animals raised specifically for the shooting thereof.

That's not hunting, that's sitting.

I prefer the NZ method.

Plenty of fenced off ‘game farms’ for paying hunters in NZ too.

I'm sure some use feeders / bait but I don't think that's the most common method and I think it's banned in some areas. I believe that tree stands / Hides in the states are set up in a location chosen due to pre-scouted game trails, trail cams etc etc

Feeders are very common over there. Elk are migratory, so the feeder system doesn't work well for them.

Plus in America there's actual real wildlife that can eat you back. Or just kill you for the sake of it.
Although I often find NZ bush a bit quiet, it's pretty relaxing knowing you can just find a nice dry sheltered spot and get comfy for a bit of shut eye during the day and not worry about getting eaten. Or waking up with a snake curled up to you for warmth.

I’ve hunted in a few places around the world and have enjoyed the diversity (Sweden, Australia, Canada, New Cal, South Africa, US). My experience in the US was both in hides ( with out feeders) and walk and stalk. In many states they hunt Whitetails from hides as often they place hides in travel routes. ( Deer often graze on farmland at night and move into bedding areas during the day)
I remember sitting in a hide at minus 15 for several hours and even with the best of down gear, foot and hand warmers it was a challenge.
I think the management of the resources in Canada and the US has bought a very different mindset to the hunters there. Rather than hunt and destroy its more select and harvest. I do think we have something to learn from this.
Certainly in Canada if something is shot you are required to take every kilo of meat out. This in itself projects more value on the animal that just for example taking back straps.
In NZ I have certainly sat up trees. I have to say in my limited trips chasing sika I think I would have done better sitting down and watching likely spots than crashing around the bush.
My conclusion is all countries do it different, all have a uniqueness that makes it interesting and captivating. Those that believe as non native species we should eradicate them, should infact in my view find a more moderate approach and consider the opportunity we now have to gain value from something we didn’t have back in time. Where did some of our native species come from anyway?