NZ Outdoor Magazine

28/09/2025

That old timer had been correct. This spot had been a honey hole and not only brought the hunters a deer, but a 12-point royal stag.

Nick wasn’t too fazed about the antlers, he just wanted to know if the meat was alright. Sure enough, being a late roar this fella hadn’t cranked up properly yet. As they butchered him they discovered that the meat had a good layer of fat and was minus that stink, he would go a long way to filling that big hole in the freezer. Together with the cast antler found nearby, Nick would be heading home to the ranch successfully this time.

Sam The Trap Man
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25/09/2025

"By the time we hauled the heavy loads back to the hut, the afternoon sun was already dipping low in the sky. Still cold but slightly more inviting now with fresh meat and trophies, the hut became a scene of tired celebration as we spent the evening by the fire grilling fresh tahr steaks and reliving each moment of the hunt. However, we were completely unaware that another challenge was yet to come......" Dan Lastovicka

23/09/2025

A real Kiwi experience for Phillip Andreou - a cracker 13 point red stag. Plenty of character on this big old stag!

Thanks Clayton!
Ohinerata Hunting

16/09/2025

He was magnificent with his mane rippling in the wind like a lion’s, golden and wild against the pale greywacke rock.

As the tahr stood proud 700 metres up on the far side of the valley, we studied the terrain and plotted a route that would bring us within range. After weaving through spear grass and matagouri, thorny, tangled, and aptly nicknamed ‘wild Irishman’, at 250 metres we found a hollow in front of a boulder that offered cover and a clear line of sight.

Thankfully, this time I had a stable, elevated rest for Tom’s Tikka Elite 7mm Rem Mag.
My heart pounded as I slipped off the safety and didn’t even need to dial in the Vortex Viper, just drew the crosshairs up his front leg and paused.

In that moment I reflected on the generosity of strangers and the privilege of standing in this wild place!

Get yourself a copy of our latest issue to read the rest of Ross Scott and Tom Lanauze's article on hunting the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps.

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12/09/2025

FLASHBACK FRIDAY
Bush Stalker by Tim Stewart

“I grew up spending my school holidays roaming around on my Grandparents’ farm at the base of the Kaimai range in the Bay of Plenty, near Tauranga. With an abundance of rabbits on the property, we hunted as soon as my brothers and I were old enough to use Grandpa’s old BSA .22. At the age of eighteen the call of the bush had grown too strong to resist, and I gathered some traps and bought an ex-military .303 rifle and ‘went bush’. From the early eighties I hunted in Te Urewera ranges, before moving across the Great lake Taupo, to the Hauhungaroa range, to hunt possums for their skins in the winter and meat hunt red deer in the spring.”

Tim Stewart is well known to readers of the New Zealand Outdoor magazine for his articles that have appeared over the years. This book is a collection of hunts the author has undertaken mainly in the central North Island, but also has a couple on Fiordland.

Self-published and available by emailing [email protected]
Full review by Tony Orman available in our latest issue and it can also be found online at various self-publishing sites.

09/09/2025

A Huntress Forging Her Own Path

Nestled in the rugged wilderness of New Zealand’s West Coast, Alesha Tomasi is redefining what it means to be a hunter. Born and raised in Kumara, Alesha fell in love with hunting as a teenager after joining her high school sweetheart on trips into the bush. What started as tagging along with the boys soon became a deep-seated passion for tracking game, honing her skills, and ultimately inspiring other young women to embrace hunting as a way of life.

Now 26 and living near Hokitika with her partner, Alesha has fully immersed herself in the hunting lifestyle. With the dense rainforest and steep river valleys of the West Coast as her backyard, she regularly hunts red deer, mountain tahr, chamois, and goats, not only for the thrill of the chase but as a means of providing nutritious, sustainable meat for her table.

“Hunting gives me time to escape into nature,” she says. “There’s nothing quite like being deep in the bush, away from the noise of the world, challenging yourself physically and mentally, and knowing that at the end of it, you can put food on the table.”

Read Victoria Bruce's full article about Alesha in our lastest issue.

Adventures with Emilie Daughters of the Wild

05/09/2025

FLASHBACK FRIDAY
Life was good as a teenager in the seventies. As a 16-year-old starting a butchering job, it came in handy being able to cut up friends’ deer and turn it into a few sausages.

I also remember shooting my first stag, which is amazing for me as sometimes I can’t even recall why I walked into the kitchen. It was a trip into a small stream at the back of Levin, where my brother and two uncles took my cousin and I on numerous occasions to learn stalking, river crossing, and occasionally firefighting skills.

I had apparently upset one of the customers, so the boss had given me the day off to show the old dear that I was being punished for my sins. In my defence, she was one of those customers that constantly complained about every cut of meat and the cost of every pound of mince. The boss used to see her coming and ask me to serve before bolting out the back. On this particular day I had one of those labrador moments and, totally out of character, dropped a pig’s eye into her purse. Apparently, her next stop was the post office where she flicked out her bank book and the pig’s eye somersaulted onto the counter, which as you can imagine didn’t go down too well. I was released pending an enquiry and it couldn’t have worked out better.

Early Friday morning saw me packing my gear and jumping into the old Holden ute. ...." Get yourself a copy of NZ Outdoor to read more from John Trask.

03/09/2025

Want to show Dad he’s appreciated this Sunday?

Want to say thank you for all the quiet support, the shared adventures, and just being there. Whether he's into hunting, fishing, or just dreaming about treks into the hills, surprising him with a subscription to his favourite outdoor magazine is the perfect way to say “Thanks Dad!"

It's easy - just hop over to www.nzoutdoor.co.nz and subscribe now!

29/08/2025

FLASHBACK FRIDAY
Dr Dave’s younger brother Andrew shooting his first tahr in the Godley Valley. “The view from the Godley Hut is breathtaking, with the peaks of Mt Livingston and Mannering towering over the Classen and Grey Glaciers. Once through the Sealy Pass, I banked hard left to make a beeline for McClure Peak (2486m) which is at the very head of the Godley River Valley (named after John Robert Godley who was involved in Canterbury’s development in those early settlers’ days). It was a perfect, windless day with plenty of snow about to make the sharp mountaintops shimmer in the afternoon sun. Flying around this alpine wonderland on such a magical day truly is a transcendental experience beyond words - bush pilot heaven. I was living the dream on another trip in the ‘Journey of the Bushman's Bible’."

Subscribe at www.nzoutdoor.co.nz to follow Dr Dave's series on the Waitaki River Valley. Some amazing photography is being captured from his cessna along with historical facts as Dave visits each of the watersheds that make up this massive Waitaki River and shares his thoughts on the transcendence and spirituality that exists for those who venture alone into this beautiful mountain paradise!

27/08/2025

26/08/2025

Who else has fond memories of Ruahine Hut??
"After my unsuccessful sika trip earlier this year I was hoping to redeem myself and was fortunate to secure a ballot for the Ruahine Hut, to hunt some mid-April roaring reds. This place has sentimental value for our family as it was one of the first huts that we spent a week at over Christmas, as well as being the hut Mum and Dad lived in while doing possums and meat hunting from 1976 to 1982." Cam Mckie - NZ Outdoor - Aug/Sept 2025

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