Red Stag

[WVTXn]

Anyone have any recommendations for Red Stag hunting? I'm not the type who pays 20k so my name can be in a book.... but I need something respectable to hang on my wall from the shoulders up. From what I've read on other threads is that NZ is a high fence farm that takes forever to get to. Europe might not be the bang for the buck either as I could come back with a 4x4 and the paperwork going into some countries is near assanine. Is Argentina the best option? Still seems just a tad expensive when I don't need steak every night for dinner & every morning for breakfast.
Or should I just book a NM elk hunt and pretend I'm on a Stag hunt?
I welcome all advice!

Thanks guys.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

Why do you need a large stag on your wall?

 

[kiwi hunter]

I can do you one next year, no worries. Free range. Or a hog deer 14inches plus in Ozzie.

 

[WVTXn]

Why do you need a large stag on your wall?

Same as any other silly "wants" in life. Always thought it would be cool to have one on my wall not unlike European castles etc. Conversation piece and visible memory item.

 

[perma]

How funny, I was just looking into hunts for red stag in Italy.

*krrrrrk* Paging @SCliving Outdoors

 

[buffybr]

Why do you need a large stag on your wall?

Because, like all of the other critters I have on my walls, I can look at them and enjoy their memories every day for the rest of my life.

 

[buffybr]

As to the OP's question, I shot my stag in New Zealand. I had wanted to visit New Zealand since I was a kid and reading about the trout fishing there. You can do DIY public land hunts in New Zealand for Red Stag, Tahr, Chamois, and some other animals, but because NZ is so far away and I thought I would only to go there once, I chose to hunt with an Outfitter.

I had been talking to different NZ Outfitters at sports shows for several years, and finally my GF and I were talking to the Gary Herbert representatives at one show and we decided to go. Yes, most NZ Outfitters hunt high fence properties, but many of those properties are measured in square miles rather than acres. Plus, the outfitted hunts have higher quality animals and a means of getting them out of the mountains where a 70+ year old man and his GF would have to pack anything that I killed out on my back, which would not be fun for my GF.

We made it a 3 week trip, with me hunting the first week and then we rented a car and spent the next two weeks driving on the wrong side of the road and seeing the spectacular south island on New Zealand.

My trip was in the $20K price range, but we had a wonderful 5 star lodge to stay in and I came home with 5 high quality trophy animals that I will enjoy on the walls of my trophy room for the rest of my life.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

Because, like all of the other critters I have on my walls, I can look at them and enjoy their memories every day for the rest of my life.

I agree, I just found the thought process strange. Having a trophy on the wall is a secondary motivation to the adventure in my mind.

 

[buffybr]

I agree, I just found the thought process strange. Having a trophy on the wall is a secondary motivation to the adventure in my mind.

Having lived and hunted in Colorado and Montana for the last 50 years, I have dozens of elk racks hanging in my garage rafters. Only 2 sets of 6x6 antlers I thought were good enough to have shoulder mounts made, and I enjoy seeing them every day on my trophy room walls. Of all the other elk racks in my garage rafters, the only one that I can specifically remember is the velvet 5x5 rack that I shot with a bow back in the early '70s when I lived in Steamboat Spgs, Co.

 

[WVTXn]

As to the OP's question, I shot my stag in New Zealand. I had wanted to visit New Zealand since I was a kid and reading about the trout fishing there. You can do DIY public land hunts in New Zealand for Red Stag, Tahr, Chamois, and some other animals, but because NZ is so far away and I thought I would only to go there once, I chose to hunt with an Outfitter.

I had been talking to different NZ Outfitters at sports shows for several years, and finally my GF and I were talking to the Gary Herbert representatives at one show and we decided to go. Yes, most NZ Outfitters hunt high fence properties, but many of those properties are measured in square miles rather than acres. Plus, the outfitted hunts have higher quality animals and a means of getting them out of the mountains where a 70+ year old man and his GF would have to pack anything that I killed out on my back, which would not be fun for my GF.

We made it a 3 week trip, with me hunting the first week and then we rented a car and spent the next two weeks driving on the wrong side of the road and seeing the spectacular south island on New Zealand.

My trip was in the $20K price range, but we had a wonderful 5 star lodge to stay in and I came home with 5 high quality trophy animals that I will enjoy on the walls of my trophy room for the rest of my life.

Thanks for the candid insight and detail. Much appreciated! Very nice piece on your wall.

 

[belshawelk]

@WVTXn $20k is crazy. The only animal below that was guided was the private land stag hunt and I didn’t spend 1/4 of that. Nothing wrong with a guided hunt just don’t think you have to spend a fortune. Do your research, make some friends or do it solo and go hunt. Put the work in and you’ll be rewarded. Both are great hunts.
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Public land

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Private land

NM has some decent elk hunting too! Here’s a few.
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I hate to be the one to tell you but the last three are no Stags. not sure who sold you the hunt..................... they are great though

 

[SCliving Outdoors]

He was just showing off his other trophies that he hammered out. Fish pics and 401k balance coming next

I deleted the post. I wasn’t trying to flex on anyone, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I apologize if it came off that way. I was just trying to show that cool hunts don’t have to cost a ton of money. The only one of those hunts that was real expensive was the private land stag. That hunt cost $4500 and I saved for 3 years to do it.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

I deleted the post. I wasn’t trying to flex on anyone, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I apologize if it came off that way. I was just trying to show that cool hunts don’t have to cost a ton of money. The only one of those hunts that was real expensive was the private land stag. That hunt cost $4500 and I saved for 3 years to do it.

I liked the post. Always good to see success photos. OP did mention NM elk as well so it all seemed fitting.