Hunting With Us

In 2000 Jason moved to New Zealand from Canada, where he was a professional hunting guide.

With a lifetime of hunting experience Jason easily adapted his North American hunting and guiding knowledge to suit the New Zealand style of hunting.

Jason has worked hard to build good relationships with landowners and has secured top quality herds with excellent genetics. All the company’s guides have a long history of successfully hunting their chosen species.

Wood Family Outfitters look forward to the opportunity of hosting you while you hunt and enjoy the wonders of New Zealand.

Hunting in New Zealand

Good equipment will make your trophy hunt with Wood Family Outfitters even more enjoyable.

Rifle, calibre and bullets

The big question for hunters visiting New Zealand is what rifle and calibre they should use. The quick answer is whatever you are familiar with. Ideally, it will be a good quality, reliable rifle and because New Zealand’s weather can be wet and unpredictable, stainless steel and synthetic stocks are a good choice.

What calibre will depend on what trophies you hope to hunt. Generally, most New Zealand game can be hunted with calibres in the .270 – 8mm range.

Choose a more powerful cartridge if your quarry is on the heavier side, such as wild bulls and sambar stags. These are solid, well built animals and require well placed shots with powerful calibres, such as .300 magnums.

If you are pursuing lighter game such as chamois, sika and fallow, then calibres like the .25-06 are a good choice.

For hunts targeting a range of game, the all round cartridges such as the .270, Win, .280 Rem, 7mm Rem Mag and .308 Win are the best idea. Most important of all is making sure you are used to shooting your rifle and chosen calibre from a variety of positions.

Wood Family Outfitters can supply a rifle if you are unwilling to bring your own. A 280 Remington and a 30-06 are available.

Good quality bullets will make your shot even more effective. Barnes X-bullets, Winchester Failsafes, Nosler partitions and bonded bullets from various makers can all be counted on to deliver the goods for your once-in-a-lifetime hunt. Heavier bullets, especially for the bigger species, are a good idea.

Telescopic sights and scopes

Telescopic sights should also be of good quality from a reputable maker. More importantly, they should be of realistic power. Scopes more suited to varmint or target hunting, such as 6.5x-20x, or 4x-16x are just too unwieldy for New Zealand’s challenging hunting conditions.

Far better are scopes with power ranges such as 1.5x-6x, 2.5x-8x and 3x-9x, while fixed power scopes like 4x and 6x are also ideal. Good light gathering ability is important and fine varmint reticles are to be avoided.

Binoculars

Binoculars are important, allowing hunters to inspect areas and potential trophies without disturbing them. Our guides are expert at assessing trophy quality, but taking an active role in locating and identifying your trophy will make your hunt all the more exciting.

You can’t go wrong with the best quality binoculars you can afford, with eight or ten power being the best choice. A minimum of 40mm objective lenses mean you will be better able to locate animals at those all important hunting times of dawn and dusk.

Clothing and footwear

New Zealand can be rugged, and you should bring a pair of quality boots. They should be worn-in, comfortable, waterproof and provide solid ankle support.

Clothing should be warm, such as polar fleece, while other modern fabrics such as windproof material will make your hunt more comfortable. Quality, waterproof rainwear is vital.

Your guides are skilled in cleaning and preparing your trophy, but you are welcome to bring your favourite knife. A point to note is that a hunting knife can never be too sharp. A camera and comfortable pack are important.


Level of fitness

The other point to note is that Wood Family Outfitters specialise in free-range hunts and that can mean walking reasonable distances over uneven terrain during the course of a trophy hunt. A reasonable standard of fitness is a good idea.

Hunting Seasons

• Red Deer:
  March-September (optimum Rut March 25-April 15)
• Fallow Deer:
  March-September
• Sambar Deer:
  March-September
• Sika Deer:
  March-September (optimum Rut April 16-30)
• Himalayan Tahr:
  Late April-September
• Chamois:
  Late April-September

The average length of hunt for each animal can be modified to suit personal time frames.

We welcome all rifle, black powder, and bow hunters. New Zealand DOES NOT ALLOW hand gun hunting.

Accommodation & Scenery

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Non-Hunter Activities

The sky is the limit. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful and safest countries in the world. We can arrange a full trip or be as flexible as you desire. There are lots of places to go and things to see while your partner is out hunting: top wine, scenery, shopping; whatever you might like - just ask us!

Guided photographic safaris are a great way to experience New Zealand’s wildlife and wildest places. Those who have seen ‘The Lord of the Rings’ will know that New Zealand boasts some of the most stunning scenery in the world.

Fishing is an opportunity not to be missed - we can arrange a variety of fishing experiences e.g. fly fishing; surf casting; deep sea charter.

Lake Taupo is located just three hours north of our base. This lake has been stocked with trout for over 100 years and is one of the premier trout fishing spots in the world.