Hunting true free range wild red stags is not something that every hunter gets to experience. Hunting true free-range stags can be a grey area if they actually free range.
We can guarantee our stags are wild and free range. Our definition of free range is “Born in the wild, raised in the wild, killed in the wild”.
With the red stag rut and roar it is the best time of the year to hunt. The rut generally takes place in March/April and Red Stags are hunts we always remember.
There all one to remember, but there is going to be some great antlers around come March and April when the season begins.
Free range red stags on the areas we hunt travel around quite a lot, but at this time of year they can be found on the best food which makes it easier to locate them.
How amazing are the deer species? They grow new antlers every year. Here in New Zealand they drop there antlers normally around August and velvet growth begins not long after. Poor feed for the stags in early life or during the antler-growing period can decrease velvet production by 10–20%. In red deer and wapiti, velvet antler increases from two years of age to a peak at eight or nine years, and then diminishes. Aging red stags can be difficult, we use coronet height and body shape as an indication, and we can usually get fairly close. We know this by the animals we have killed we have then aged.
Come February the antler underneath is hard, and they begin to rub off the velvet left covering their antlers. This is when we start to get excited. It’s like Christmas and the opening of the presents. We get to see what’s underneath. Then the roar starts. Ohhhhh I cannot wait.
We can offer you a variety of options to hunt red stags in New Zealand so best to get in touch by sending us an enquiry or calling us. Spaces are limited.