Hunts and Pricing – Viking Guides

Hunting NZ with Viking Guides

Whether it is a full backcountry expedition style hunt or a private land hunt you are after, Viking Guides can accommodate you. All of our trips are centred around providing you with the best experience possible. They are all fully catered and we pride ourselves on going above and beyond to make sure every aspect of your trip is memorable. If you are travelling from the North Island or even further afield we can pick you up from either Christchurch or Queenstown Airport. Once you are in our care you are in our care. There are no hidden cost with Viking Guides: once your trip starts you can put your wallet away. The agreed price includes everything from roadside coffee and pie stops through to unexpected helicopter time.

Backcountry expedition. Our backcountry expedition hunts are just that; we either hike, fly or 4WD into some very remote wilderness areas. The animals are truly wild as is the terrain and, at times, the weather. On these trips we generally will set up a tented base camp and do day hunts from there, occasionally we might stay in a backcountry hut. Although we take into account all levels of fitness and ability we recommend you come as fit and ready as you can for these kind of hunts.

Private Land Hunts. Private land is generally a lot better for Red and Fallow deer hunting and is the only place we can hunt Arapawa. These hunts are usually a lot less physically demanding than the back country hunts. Much of the land is accessible by 4wd tracks so the walking distances can be shortened, we even spot animals from the vehicle at times. We will often stay in farm huts or houses and have most home comforts. The terrain can still be steep though, so a reasonable level of fitness is recommended.

Combined Hunts. We can tailor-make any kind of trip for you and your team. Whether you want to combine two or three of our standard hunts or would like to design the dream trip for you and some friends, including down time between hunts for a spot of fishing or a day or two of relaxing and recouping we can design a program for you.

Pricing. Our pricing is very compedative, and we are eager to make your hunt work for you, because all of our hunts are different and taylor made to suit every clients needs and budget, therefor it is best to give us a call or send as and email and we can discuss your hunt and give you a price based on your needs.

Chamois

Tahr

Red Deer

Fellow

Awapara

Learn to hunt trips

We are so privileged to have such great access to hunting in New Zealand, but not all of us are lucky enough to have grown up hunting or to have friends to take us under their wing and teach us. Here at Viking guides we love talking every aspect of hunting and really enjoy sharing our knowledge with others. This 3 day trip has been designed to teach anyone new to hunting all they need to know to get out there and start enjoying this great activity.

We start right from the basics:

On the first morning we will talk about licenses, and DOC permits, we will look at Topo maps showing you how to look for good areas. We will then talk about firearms, firearm safety as well as what to look for in a good hunting rifle. We will then head out into the field, practice some of the skills we have talked about with shooting rifles at the range. Before we decide on a good area to start looking for animal sign, we will be talking about spotting and stalking an animal.

In the evening we will set up a camp, make a meal together and talk about choosing good camp sites, backcountry safety and plans for the morning’s hunt.

The next day we will spend the morning hunting. We will then spend some time looking at safely crossing rivers and other aspects of being safe on the mountains.

That evening we will move to a free range hunting block and have an evening in a cosy back country hut. We will show you some ways of cooking wild game and share a good meal and a beer.

The next day we will hunt for a meat animal on the block, then show you how to field dress a deer ready for packing out, and then how do break down the joints for packing and ageing or freezing. You will get to take home all the meat!

Learn to read Topo Maps

How to read maps, decide where to go and find out if you need to and how to gain permission for hunting.

How Dress out your Deer

Learn how to dress a deer in the field and then how to break down, age and pack the meat. You will get to take home all the meat.

Shooting Skills

Learn firearm safety and how to choose a rifle for your hunting. Then we will cover how to properly sight and shoot your rifle.

Chamois Hunt

Introduced to New Zealand in 1907 as a gift from the Austrian Emperor; Franz Josef, and released near Mt. Cook on the South Island. Our hunting grounds for the Alpine Chamois stand in a beautiful contrast to the European alps and is a must for any dedicated Chamois hunter. The Chamois rut starts early in May and lasts until the end of June, but chamois can be hunting year round and the coats can be lovely in summer as well as winter. All our chamois hunts are 100% wild public land hunts. The hunting can be hard and the terrain steep and challenging, a good level of fitness is definitely an advantage!

Helicopter access
4wd access
Helicopter access

Our helicopter access hunts are based on the West Coast of the South Island. Flying high into the Chamois habitat and setting up a tented base camp. This is the most popular option for Chamois trips, as it puts us right in the hunting grounds and animal numbers are generally high. They can be combined with either a 4WD east coast Tahr hunt or a west coast helicopter relocated Tahr hunt.

4wd access

Our 4wd based trips are run on the east coast of the South Islands. We spend up to 6 hours on a four wheel driving adventure up one of the braided rivers that give us access into the backcountry. We will set up camp either in one of the backcountry huts or in a tented camp. This style of trip requires a higher level of fitness than the helicopter access options as each day we need to hike up into the alpine environment where the Chamois like to live.

Tahr Hunts

Introduced to New Zealand in 1904 and released near Mt. Cook on the South Island. The areas in which we hunt Himalayan Tahr reward the hunter with the most beautiful and magical views New Zealand has to offer. The Tahr rut starts early May, and lasts until the end of June, but the bulls are in there winter coats from April through till early September, and Tahr can be hunted year round. Like our Chamois hunts, all our Tahr hunts are 100% wild public land hunts. For us the Tahr are the pinnacle of the trips we do, the terrain is step and uncompromising, for this reason we suggest a high level of fitness for these hunts as they are the most physically challenging of all hunting in New Zealand. But the rewards are huge, the views are magnificent and the bull Tahr majestic .

Helicopter access
4wd access
Helicopter access

Our helicopter access hunts are conducted on the West Coast of the south island of New Zealand, we will fly our base camp high into the mountains. The terrain is often very step and there can be a lot of think scrub. The hunting is both very physically challenging and highly rewarding, with lots of animals to spot and amazing scenery. These hunts can easily be combined with a chamois hunt with just a quick helicopter transfer between sites.

4wd access

Red Stag

Deer hunting is a way of life to a lot of New Zealanders and the meat is well-renowned by many. Introduced to New Zealand for the first time in 1851, since then with the help of numerous releases the population has exploded. In the 1950s, the government declared them a pest and employed hunters to cull them. Today the numbers are not as high on public land as there where in those days. Viking guides conducts its Red stag hunts on a few select private properties, this means we have access to decent numbers of animals and also are guaranteed to have the hunting area to ourselves. The deer are very much still wild animals and the hunting is challenging. Because it is private property, trophy fees do apply. The red deer roar is generally in April and this is a very exciting time of year to hunt, but we can organise a red deer hunt for you at any time of year and you can go home with a freezer full of meat.

Fallow Buck

Fallow Deer not only make a lovely trophy and a very memorable challenging hunt but their meat is absolutely excellent. They were introduced to New Zealand for the first time in 1851 and are now found throughout the country. Viking Guides’s private hunting areas for fallow deer have been carefully selected to give our customers a genuine wild hunting experience combined with quality trophies. Our hunting areas are unique, and simply breath-taking. The fallow rut is generally from about mid April to mid May, but this species can be hunted throughout the year.

Awapara

These stunning and crazy sheep provide a unique hunting experience. They were introduced to New Zealand for the first time in 1867, to Arapawa Island, Marlborough Sounds, as a food source for the whalers at the time. Since then, numerous flocks have taken residence right across the country. Viking Guides´s private hunting areas for Arapawa Ram have been carefully selected to give our customers a genuine nature experience combined with quality trophies. Our hunting areas are unique, simply breathtaking. Arapawa Rams are hunted in the same hunting territory as Red Deer and Fallow Deer. The Arapawa Ram can be hunted all year round and is a phenomenal trophy addition to your New Zealand Trophy wall! The meat is very good in younger animals and not dissimilar to merino.