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New Zealand Tahr

Dinsdale

By Dinsdale,
in Out of New York Hunting

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Dinsdale Community Regular

Dinsdale

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Just returned from a 2 week visit to New Zealand where I chased Tahr and Chamois around some hills for a week.

 

Travelled from JFK to LAX, LAX to Auckland where I picked up gun permit, and finally AUK to Queenstown on the South Island. Around 32 hrs til I found a bed to crash in after leaving home.

Queenstown NZ

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Rested up and had a day in town to start getting used to time change before driving 3 1/2 hrs North to get a helicopter ride into camp.

 

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Stayed in a converted shepards cabin and hunted private land; this area is active for domestic sheep and there were still a handfull around at lower elevations. Tahr were plentiful and had come down from higher slopes with the on coming winter. In general I had nice weather, with a few showers and some light snow; it was very windy and we had to wait for lower winds to get the helicopter ride out for an extra day, but we spent that on spotting and taking a look around.

Front yard and primary hunting area;

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There were lots of bulls to look over and judge. I was looking for a mature bull and we set up on a few with a spotting scope to get a good look. I was very impressed with the Vortex spotter that was along. I like glassing hunts the best and can spend all day just looking over terrain for hidden animals moving out of hidden draws and gullies. Seen several Red Deer in the bottom and found a decent shed with 12 pts from a younger animal.

 

 

In the small sunny bowl at top and the rock outcrop halfway up on skyline;

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We found what I was looking for and made a stalk from the bottom using terrain to cover the approach. Group contained a young bull, several nannies/young, and a very good bull. Closed to 200 yds on the ballistics and had a great rest with a rock out cropping as the bull hit the top of the ridgeline and seperated himself from the group. Very steep shot and let him quarter away a bit to hit him in the offshoulder.

 

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Rifle and load.......Blaser R93 with rail mount Swaro 3-12x50. Chambered in 300 Weatherby, shooting 180gr Barnes TSX sighted dead on for 200 yds. First blood for this barrel for me on this frame. 

 

He never took a step and dumped him right on the spot. Watched the puff of the exit in my scope and knew I hit him good instantly. He rolled downhill maybe 20 yds getting caught on a small flat.

 

This bull is 9 years old and a bit over 13" along the front ridge of his horns that are chipped up from fighting; all I could ever ask for an awesome trophy bull....

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Set up for some quick pics and caped him out. By the time we were done we had headlamps on, but lucked out being all the way at the top as the ridgeline ran right back to camp and only had a one slope to negotiate in the dark to get down.

Edited by Dinsdale
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Dinsdale Community Regular

Dinsdale

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Tahr was my primary animal for the trip so that being done, we drove South to look for Chamois. I feel the continued good weather hurt my chances here as for the next several days animals were higher and higher to climb too. Some bad weather would have pushed a few down more looking to feed for some calories and where the girls go, the boys follow.

But the scenery sure was fine.....

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One of the girls checking us out from above

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But we did spot and glass Chamois everyday and closed to 80 yds on a shooter as we crested the top on a stalk, but he was perched on a outcropping that would have had him drop a few hundred yards after a shot, and recovery may have been impossible. Later we made a good move on another prospective animal, but he was shy of what I was after and needed to spread his genes a few more years. Thats huntin'.

Hunting over I spent a few days back around the Queenstown area where there was lots to see and do, jet boat rides, hiked a hill about the same as Marcy here in NY (rained and got soaking wet LOL)......

A huge THANK YOU! to Lawdwaz here for helping me out....

With extra days after hunt, I was able to secure NZ DOC paperwork and brought cape and horns home as checked bag. Larry called USF&W at LAX for me to confirm inspection on landing and it all came off perfectly with import paperwork. Wish importing trophies was always like this!

Edited by Dinsdale
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Lawdwaz Grand Master

Lawdwaz

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Wow what a cool trip. The planning and preparation that goes into a trip like this can sometimes be just as much fun as the actual hunt but I doubt it on this one!

The scenery, game hunted and a chopper ride have to put this hunt at the top of the list in excitement. Great pics and outcome Dan, congrats on another great adventure!

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grampy Veteran

grampy

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Absolutely awesome pictures,story and hunt! Beautiful trophy too. Not many of us will ever be fortunate enough to pull off a hunt like yours. So thanks for sharing your hunt with us! Looks like it was an amazing experience!

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Dinsdale Community Regular

Dinsdale

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Thank you all for the kind comments.

 

Wish I had taken my DSLR this trip, but find a P+S much easier to deal with when hunting for taking pics when out in the field. Always struggle with having time to take pics when days are short and finding and stalking something is the real task at hand.

 

Good trip and good folks met along the way.....

 

 

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