Booking A Hunt

[MK-M-GOBL]

Some of you know, I'm not a fan of paying money for someone to put me on a deer or turkey. I enjoy hunting & I also enjoy doing it myself & that just me. If people wish to pay others to scout, hang a stand, feed and then put them on a deer that's beyond the hunting means...go for it There are some hunts that you just can't do yourself or wouldn't be smart to do on your own like grizzly, ram, elk or any of Africa big 5 Well I rank my dream hunt with those animals.

I’ve always had the desire to hunt red stag in New Zealand but a trip all the way down there is way beyond my means. Now there is a place that only 6 hours from here (and I’ve driven there before) that has some incredible red stags hunts on big open land. After looking at the site and email the place, for $4900…I’d do it in a second!! It probably would be more like $6500 when it’s all said and done with the gas (driving up/back), processing meat, euro mount prep, the tipping of your guide/staff or for any unseen miscellaneous items.

I think I’ll have to start whispering this place in Melisa’s ear while she’s sleeping ;D

Masshunter…I know you love your elk hunting, you should look into this place. I’ll booked the red stag, you book the elk and we’ll drive up to split the gas

www.laurentianwildlife.com/index.html

[hurricane]

Class looking operation. The info about the developing herds genetics is interesting stuff. Seems like some qualified folks.

[bowhunter603]

how big of an area is that place. sounds pretty big. just something about fences and feeders pushes my buttons.

[regnar]

I dont think I would ever go on a hand held hunt. The hunts were I have paid it has been basically to lease the land and we go at it. Thats part of the reason for the low success rate when I travel to hunt. But like you said, I enjoy the scouting, the stand placement and all the other parts that go into a hunt.

I have no problem with a high fence hunt ( I assume it is although I could not find it on the page) It is just different. But hunting 400 acres is still tough. Besides the meat is fanominal and it would cost you that much just to buy that much steak. (did I mention I have a big freezer!)

[MK-M-GOBL]

I wouldn't hunt a high fence area or over a feeding either bh603 but when I hear back on my emailed questions, I'll let you know what they tell me. Now I didn't see it on their web page but did it say somewhere that they using feeders? I read how they looked a long and hard to find the perfect habitat to manage the heard.

I look at it this way, red stag are not a North American game that you can just drive to PA, IL, OH or TX and get a hotel for week to hunt public land or pay a landowner a week long lease. So when the US has a hunt able heard of wild free grazing red stag or if I find a place to hunt them without having to use outfitters, I'll be all over doing a DIY hunt Until then as long as it's not a high fence game preserve, I’ll book a hunt for them if the opportunity ever comes up without feeling bad one bit

As for hunting them with someone holding my hand, seeing I know nothing about red stag such as calling, their rut or their general every day habits, I’d welcome someone that knows them to hold my hand and give me a lesson on hunting He can’t hold my hand while shooting the bow so would it really be considered holding my hand on the hunt ;D

[danf]

Tom, the fact that speak of "preserves" and scores in the SCI record books leads me to believe it is a high-fence hunt. Not to mention that no game agency in their right mind anywhere would allow a non-native mammal to be knowingly turned loose by a citizen or business....

The size of the enclosed acreage would be my deciding factor on whether to pursue it or not. For me, there's no hard line as to where an enclosure is big enough to consider it "enough". Having hunted in a 23,000 acre WMA in South Carolina and never seeing the boundary lines once we were inside the WMA, I'd have to say that it would need to be at least 15,000 acres for me to even think hard about it. But that's just me. For something like red stag though, where you'd otherwise need to go to Scotland or New Zealand to hunt them......

I'm interested in what you find out.

[bowhunter603]

i hear ya. the website does say that they use supplemental feeding, not sure if they are feeders that they hunt near or what. i just assumed that any where you hune red stag in north america has high fences.

[soccerref]

It's almost guarenteed to be fenced in, SCI scores and Red Stag indicate that. If you're good with that, then go for it.

Another option: for $4900 you can get a pretty good western Elk Hunt.

[ecgreen]

I say save up and do the real deal man! Sell some ATVs, you can scratch up the cash somewhere if it is something you really want. What would the final tag on a new zealand hunt be 10,000 total?

Now for that I would get a guide IMHO. NO need to go all the way down there, spend the money and be completely lost as to how to go about hunting those boys- and come home empty handed.

[ecgreen]

I just checked around quick and you can get a new zealand package deal for what looks like 5000 to 6000. Add a plane ticket and you are there.

[MK-M-GOBL]

Oh yeah there's hunts close to same price out there but I'm not thrilled about flying 11 plus hours. It's probably a lot longer, I'm just using how long our flight to Paris was & their closer than New Zealand. If my wife wants to make it a family affair, I rather do it on land they are native of

Dan...I too might hunt a fenced in area that's more than 10,000 acres of land but most of your high fence hunting places are not that big.

My dream hunting property would be 1000 to 2500 acres all on one parcell for example...no roads through it or other landowers breaking it up. Now if I could afford that much property, I'd put up a fence with open gates in heartbeat. Not so much to keep the game in but to keep the poachers & low lifes from sneaking on my land thinking it's theirs to do anything they want! I'd give a few people permission to hunt it

[thunderchicken]

I would have a hard time convincing my wife that any hunt that costs that much is a GOOD DEAL!!!!! ;D

If you add in the cost of a divorce and child support after a trip like that well...............

It adds up!!!!

Anyways........Good luck on booking that hunt!!!!!

[MK-M-GOBL]

It's going on a week & ½, I still have yet to hear back from Laurentian Wildlife Estate about my hunt questions

Maybe they figured by my questions, I probably wasn’t right for their high fence operation? I don’t know if they are or not but they sure haven’t taken the time to contact me back…F’em (forget them ).