Thread: Fiordland Ballot 2024!

Originally Posted by FirstLight

Hi all,
Have hunted elk in the western US during the rut for years. First time hunting wapati NZ. Assuming there is some red deer genetics in the herds so wondering if those who know could pontificate on the similarities/differences between your wapati and Rocky mtn vs Rosies. For example, do the bugles and cow calls sound similar to western US elk or is there some deer sound to them? Do the bush wapati behave more like Rosies where you can often bump them and they won't run into the next time zone like Rocky mtn elk. Any thoughts appreciated.

Lots of red blood, sound can vary a lot from pretty pure bugle to a weird mix often starting in a roar and ending in a scream. They will certainly disappear into the next time zone if you bump them. Numbers are very low and terrain is very hard, certainly not in herds like America. Haven’t personally heard a cow call in Fiordland