Hunting in Canterbury

Canterbury runs from the braided river plains to the highest peaks of the Southern Alps, and it is the heart of New Zealand tahr country. The big east-side river catchments such as the Rakaia and Rangitata are the classic approach to free-range bull tahr, with chamois sharing the same alpine country. Red stag is hunted on both public land and private estates, and the Lake Sumner area is a well-known recreational hunting area where aerial operations are excluded. The tahr and chamois rut falls through the colder months; the red stag roar peaks in autumn. Operators here are frank about the fitness an alpine hunt demands.