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Karen’s New Zealand red stag weighed about 500 pounds. |
A memorable trip
My husband and I recently took a hunting trip to Mt. Cecil, New Zealand. Our group of six couples booked with Lindsay Fraser Safaris (www.Trophystag.com). We flew out of Atlanta, and after several connecting flights finally arrived in Christ Church. Lindsey and his guides picked us up at the airport and drove us to Kiwi Safari Hunting Lodge.
Each day our guide drove us to the base camp from where we hunted red stag. The terrain was mountainous, with breathtaking views. To see snow covered mountains on one side of you and the Pacific Ocean on the other was unbelievable.
On our first day of the hunt we saw so many stag it was difficult to contain my excitement and wait patiently on the right one. But my time came. There were two stags, one as big as the other, 250 yards within my sights. I made my choice and took the shot on the largest animal I have ever encountered in my life, a red stag that weighed about 500 pounds. He was a record book stag and is in the process of being scored and mounted. What an experience!
The next day was my husband’s time to get his stag. We walked much of the day along creeks and mountains. Fog rolled in by lunch, so we were forced to wait it out and move lower down the mountainside. We were able to spot a good size stag on the side of the mountain across the ravine. He took the shot. Being with him when he made his kill was another awesome experience.
The third day we chose to hunt for tahr. The terrain in the snow-covered mountains was not manageable by foot and would have taken us several days to get to our location, so we took a helicopter to the top of the mountain. The hunt began as soon as the pilots dropped us off.
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Karen’s tahr fell several thousand feet down a snowy mountain before it was recovered. |
It was hard to focus on hunting, because the scenery was so beautiful. But after seeing my husband’s excitement from taking a huge tahr, I knew that I had to try it. I found the one that was right for me and took my shot. My tahr fell several thousand feet down the snowy mountain. Luckily, on the way back to camp the helicopter flew us down and we were able to pick it up.
It was wonderful to see all the other animals that lived in the mountains: fallow deer, elk and chamois.
Although we had five days to hunt, the girls also took a day to enjoy some of the world-class spas and hot springs. We were not disappointed. New Zealanders are so friendly, and their hospitality leaves nothing to be desired.
I would go back in a heartbeat to experience the hunt of some of the other game, like chamois or fallow deer. Lindsey and his family and guides made it the most memorable trip that I have ever taken. — Karen Entrekin, Gadsden, Ala.
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