The Ultimate Fair Chase Hunt

 
           The elite big game trophy in New Zealand is the Himalayan tahr. It is the fair chase hunter’s Mt Everest. Its status derives twofold. In the first place, the bulls are magnificent, maned masters of the craggy peaks, while secondly, only the elite of national and international hunters ever secure one. Unlike deer species, where fair chase trophies have antlers vastly inferior to enclosure animals, the wild tahr population still provides the vast majority of big trophies taken in New Zealand. They are only found in the South Island of this country, and then, only in limited locations. The government has allowed a controlled population to exist, but there are strict regulations, and whenever reports suggest the population is getting too large, or spreading too far south, or north, then extermination helicopters are called in. That is the extent of the management plan.

           The surviving herds live in the rugged Southern Alps range, some on the wet, steep faces of the West Coast, others on the drier shingle fan country of the East Coast. Overseas hunters are best suited targeting the eastern herds, as there is less physical danger from environment, terrain and climate. The drawback though, is hunter competition, and finding a location with adequate trophy potential, and reasonable prices. Most guiding outfits offer tahr hunts, but the reality is, they have to approach farmers to acquire animals. They pay a trophy fee to the private runholder, add their own trophy addition to that, add guiding costs, then the total bill is passed on to the client. Fair enough, but this can make a trophy bull tahr a pricey addition to the trophy room.

           The best combination, is where the runholder and the guide are the same person, so no additional costs are added to the bill. This seldom happens with tahr, and that is what makes Lilydale Wilderness and Hunting Area an exciting option for the true fair chase hunter. Lilydale is the name of a 12,500-acre high country station, owned by Donald and Barbara Bray. His contact details are: postal: Donald Bray, Lilydale, 17 RD, Fairlie, New Zealand
Telephone: +64 3 6854856 e-mail: lilydale@xtra.co.nz website: www.lilydalewildernesshunting.com

Of this acreage, 10,500 acres is true high country, and home to a good tahr population, and smaller, but stable chamois population. In their native Nepal, tahr are an endangered species, and even in New Zealand many experienced hunters have never seen one. Lilydale is unique. It has a resource worth protecting. Bray offers this service because he loves hunting, and is proud of the fact that individual Lilydale tahr now grace the walls of many overseas homes. His major payoff is seeing others experience the thrill of a successful tahr hunt. The farm has long been in the Bray family, and is situated only two and a half-hour’s drive from Christchurch International Airport, and three and half-hours from Queenstown. The Brays are happy to pick clients up from the airport, conduct a hunt, and then return them to the airport. Taxidermy facilities are close at hand.

The tahr spread on to the property in the early 1970s, and are now well established. Seeing animals is a certainty. In fact, big bulls are now remaining throughout the year, and no longer returning to summer feeding areas. The animals are managed by the Bray family, and if numbers peak dramatically, culling methods are employed to keep them below the government density figure.
Bray has set a limit of six bulls a year on the property, and guides clients personally. Bookings are essential. You will not find better prices in New Zealand. The fact that Bray is hunting on his own property is an extra advantage, as he knows where the quarry is likely to be found, and through past experience, the best tactics for success. If his own clients do not take the quota of six bulls, he will allow outside guides to bring their clients on to the property. Those clients pay their guide’s rates.

           Tahr country on Lilydale is alpine terrain, 3,000 to 7,600 feet above sea level. The winter months, June to August, can experience heavy snow, but this cold does create the magnificent pelt and mane, bull tahr are famous for. The country is steep, and strewn with shingle scree faces and native vegetation. There is no bush, so all hunting is in open terrain. Three large valleys dominate the tahr range, each with its resident animals. The largest bulls live high, looking down on the world from lofty bluffs. Trophy quality is excellent, and the securing of a representative 12-inch bull is a high possibility. The best bull taken by a client was slightly less than 14 inches. Chamois quality is also good, but not exceptional. A good buck would be 9 and a half inches long.

The greatest asset a fair chase hunter could invest in is fitness. If you aren’t walking up, then you must be coming down. This point needs to be stressed, as hunters who want the biggest trophy need to glass several bulls, before taking the big one. Unfortunately, many hunters lack the stamina, and take the first close one, usually small and immature. The best technique is to climb high, as tahr expect danger to approach from below. Many hunters, who travel up the valley, see animals, but those animals have also seen them. A whistle of alarm signals the end of the hunt for that day. By staying on the lee side of the ridge, the hunter can appear above animals, and stalk down on the selected bull. Vehicle tracks can get you well up the hill before you start walking, but you will still have 1500 feet or more to climb. One successful hunter was so elated with what he had achieved that he had his walking pole mounted on the wall, alongside his trophy. Helicopter access is not used.

           Accommodation takes many forms. The most serious hunters stay on the hill, in a small hunter’s cabin, while those with non- hunting partners may stay in the nearby town of Fairlie, or in farmstay homes. It depends how serious you are. The farm’s location is also nestled in the middle of good fallow deer country, trout fishing lakes and rivers, small game hunting for hares and rabbits, and skiing opportunities during winter. The Brays can organise all these activities for clients, and in fact run their own snowcat skiing operation.
To shoot a trophy tahr is still the pinnacle of alpine fair chase achievement.
 
Greg Morton