Testimonials
New Zealand, what more can you say than WOW! Africa is still my most favorite place to hunt only because of the numbers of different species you can hunt. But for all around awesome scenery and hunting, New Zealand is the place to be. I hunted with Neville Cunningham of Mt. Cook Trophy Hunting, what a great guide and all around fun host. We had a blast whether hunting or just sitting around camp.
I was on a Chamois and Tahr hunt this trip. As you can see by
the pictures I got what I was after. This hunt was done with the
aide of a Helicopter. The Helicopter allows us to get up in the
mountains where you otherwise could not go. So we were able to
hunt animals that had probably never seen a human.
My Chamios was
shot at 300 yards running with a .338 Pro Hunter. What a shot,
yes I am patting myself on the back. Luck or Skill I don’t know
but I’ll take either! The Tahr was spotted several hundred yards
away but when it came down to it the Shot was only about 100 yards
as the Tahr came right to us down the slopes.
To see all the action
tune in this summer on KBSI Fox 23. Oh yeah……Even my cameramen
Jimmy Storck got to take a nice NZ Ram.
Rocky Francis, Broadside Adventures
I met Neville and Sandra Cunningham of Mt. Cook Trophy Hunting at our March, 2009 fundraiser. After talking with Jim and Mike Leonard, who have hunted with Mt. Cook, I placed a deposit on the five-animal special promo hunt for a June/July dated. I invited my son, Aaron, to accompany me, which he gladly accepted. After quick preparation followed by a long flight on New Zealand Air, Neville met us at Christchurch.
After a great seafood lunch, we headed to his home near Timaru,
where we met his wife and partner Sandra. Since Neville had to drive
back to Christchurch for another pick-up, Sandra took charge the
next morning and drove us to the Mt. Cook campsite, along with lunch
and sight-seeing on the side.
After settling in and meeting Tony
Barber, my Private Hunting Guide, we prepared for the first day hunt
start. This time of the year is their winter – not too cold, but
snow is common in this mountain country. Tony was always checking
the weather patterns because part of my hunt was a helicopter trip
in to the mountains for chamois and tahr, and the sky must be clear
and free of fog.
Lots of game was spotted on the first day, but no
silver medal stag with good horns was seen. On the second day luck
changed, and I took my stag, along with a silver fallow buck.
The
next phase of the hunt was for an Arapawa ram. After taking my ram,
we waited for the weather to co-operate for my helicopter hunt. After
the second day of waiting, the perfect hour came. Tony explained
in detail the dangers and safety for this hunt. The object was to
fly in to the mountains and look for a quality tahr. After spotting
one, we had to drop off and get in to a shooting position. The tahr
had to co-operate for the shot. The pilot had to find a near touch
on a steep incline in deep snow. After the second attempt, I watched
my trophy plummet down the mountain side. The retrieval was harder
yet. The chamois was next. It was the same process over again. It
took four drops for the two animals. After that, we settled down
below a snowy flat and took some great photos. This all happened
in two and a half hours, from start to finish!
From there we packed up and returned to Timaru. We finished the
last day with a night hunt for wallaby and rabbits, all this in seven
days!
I would highly recommend this hunt to everyone. Neville is
a superb host, and Sandra is a great cook with a super personality.
I’m 72 years old and if I can do this, anyone can. This is a family
operation with a lot of personal attention.
Don Card, Lansing, USA |