Thread: Guided hunting

Originally Posted by scotty

ok I don't mind being corrected on the boned out weight of a fallow doe (I'm assuming we are talking about a doe )its been 15 odd years since I have butchered a fallow doe and I don't remember the harvested weight.
so I checked paknsaves website $23kg for grass fed red mince (personally I think fallow is nicer .....and sika for something gamier) anyhow 15kg at $23 per kg is about $345 ...
I stand by what I said in that the $300-350 is not too bad if you buying a meat animal close to Auckland buy the time you think of travel to hunting area and you wont just get mince.
personally I would rather go to DOC land and come home empty handed than buy a meat animal but that's me , my circumstances are different ......although I am headed to woodhill this year and that could almost fall into the "buying a meat animal" category

I was after just the one the 350 local guy isn't to bad. But there is 3 of us going looking at 2-3 each which makes a big difference and gas split 3 ways is a lot cheaper. But good luck in woodhill hopefully I get a go in there one day.

Try Muddy Waters Hunting, great guys, great product.

I think of it as paying for an experiance with a better than 90% chance of coming home with some meat. And as a beginner hunter you can also learn a bit about butchery from the guide as well.
I've done 2-3 guided or semi guided NI hunts with my sons and a number of private land unguided hunts with mates, sometimes its nice to have good vehicle access to a hut and know you have the place to yourselves.
Z

Experienced this recently. Its $100 for the guide fee - then its $150 for a fallow deer and $250 for a red deer. Around Mamaku, Rotorua area. It was a good experience. If only I know where to hunt properly and have someone with me to show me, then I wont have to pay. But nonetheless a good experience and almost 90% guaranteed you will take home something. I do recommend it though!

A lot of guys spend $200 on a hunting trip and get nothing.And it takes several trips to score a deer.

het mate u got a contact for this

Originally Posted by Jkprodigy

Experienced this recently. Its $100 for the guide fee - then its $150 for a fallow deer and $250 for a red deer. Around Mamaku, Rotorua area. It was a good experience. If only I know where to hunt properly and have someone with me to show me, then I wont have to pay. But nonetheless a good experience and almost 90% guaranteed you will take home something. I do recommend it though!

I normally try Clements mill road although I've got no one to teach me so it's a lot harder learning from mistakes, I like the guided hunts to pick tips up off the guides on what to do, and how to dress a animal when i finally get one on doc land

Been trying to find something like this closer to Tauranga area - have a few blocks 5+ hours away but looking for something less travel time. I have a 7yo boy who's coeliac, which is an interesting wrinkle in terms of energy management and energy levels. If I push him too much, broken boy and the wheels fall off with not a lot of warning which is a pain in the bum for school and sports during the week (weekends are mostly reserved to refuel and recover for the next week). What would be ideal is a station type hunting block where we can use a vehicle to do the most of the get around type stuff... Doesn't look like much in this part of the country though.

There were meat hunts on the old forum, wild fallow on someones family farm. I attended once and it was a good experience with a good chance of taking home something even though I wasn't in the best condition. We stayed in the shearers hut and were sent in different directions.
I'd happily pay for the privlidge and convience of doing something like that again, and it sounds like I'm not the only one.

About 12-13 years ago it was $200pp including the first deer and $100 each after that.

There used to be a few properties up the Parapara's inland from Wanganui where you could stay in the shearers quarters and shoot meat animals (Fallow) for bugger all. Dont know if they still operate - maybe someone from around that area might know

Originally Posted by No.3

Been trying to find something like this closer to Tauranga area - have a few blocks 5+ hours away but looking for something less travel time. I have a 7yo boy who's coeliac, which is an interesting wrinkle in terms of energy management and energy levels. If I push him too much, broken boy and the wheels fall off with not a lot of warning which is a pain in the bum for school and sports during the week (weekends are mostly reserved to refuel and recover for the next week). What would be ideal is a station type hunting block where we can use a vehicle to do the most of the get around type stuff... Doesn't look like much in this part of the country though.

there were a couple of places in south waikato (Pureora's) i've hunted a few times but now they are on OutdoorHQ. we always came home with meat self guided. this is a lot closer to Tauranga for you, drive to the hut then morning and evening hunt the bush margins from the paddocks and with a young one a day walk for a goat.
z

Originally Posted by No good names left

There were meat hunts on the old forum, wild fallow on someones family farm. I attended once and it was a good experience with a good chance of taking home something even though I wasn't in the best condition. We stayed in the shearers hut and were sent in different directions.
I'd happily pay for the privlidge and convience of doing something like that again, and it sounds like I'm not the only one.

About 12-13 years ago it was $200pp including the first deer and $100 each after that.

As Bos said up in the Paraparas. I went on a couple of those, they were great times. Bunch of good blokes to hunt with, one of them brought along some fabulous honey (he was a beekeeper). The place with the little jack russell. I got my first deer/fallow there, 250m headshot with a howa 243. 243's always dominated those hunts.

We have this available in Hoki. Think it's a bit steep. But if you don't use a thermal it's not guaranteed. If you have thermal, it's not unexpected to see 100-200 deer in an evening.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/services...ing/2529830536

Still cheap if you can only hunt DOC land, with the success rate and time to hunt being restricted, or want to take someone for their first deer.

Not everyone has a "Honey hole" to hunt

Originally Posted by turtleSO

We have this available in Hoki. Think it's a bit steep. But if you don't use a thermal it's not guaranteed. If you have thermal, it's not unexpected to see 100-200 deer in an evening.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/services...ing/2529830536

Still cheap if you can only hunt DOC land, with the success rate and time to hunt being restricted, or want to take someone for their first deer.

Not everyone has a "Honey hole" to hunt

That looks just perfect for me, except for it been the wrong island. I'll keep looking for something closer but have saved it just in case.

I'm sympathetic to the OP. It's a day of travel for me to get to any decent DOC land with deer, so a three day round trip for one day of hunting. I would pay if the opportunity arose as time is limited. To be honest, I'd be happy just with some nice land to walk around and taking a goat or two for the pot. However, not interested fenced in animals and canned hunts etc.