Our upcoming NZ adventure

For many hunters, the dream of a South Island expedition conjures images of massive, high-fence stags or price tags that rival a house deposit, or the kind of backcountry that feels well beyond the average abilities and wildest dreams. But at the end of February 2026, The Huntsman team is heading across the pond to document a different kind of story. We are embarking on a 10-day, self-guided expedition that captures the true essence of New Zealand hunting—remote, rugged, and surprisingly accessible for any hunter willing to put in the work.

This trip is about more than just the harvest; it’s about the “novelty” of the unknown and pushing past the comfort zones of our thirties to rediscover a sense of adventure while we still can.

The Strategy: Two Worlds in Ten Days

Our journey, facilitated by Helicopters Nelson, is split into two distinct phases to experience the full spectrum of the Nelson region. With a strict weight limit of approximately 560kg for four men and all our gear—including cameras, tripods, and batteries—every gram has to earn its place on the chopper.

Phase One: The Remote Private Station (Days 1–4)

Our first drop-off is a secluded private station with no road access, nestled in a beautiful valley.

• The Setup: We’ll be based out of a utility shack kitchenette and sleeping in a converted water tank fitted with bunk beds. While rustic, it’s luxury compared to what comes next.
• The Biological Window: We are arriving in the pre-rut or “pre-roar” stage for the deer. Stags and bucks will be stripping their velvet as their antlers harden.
• The Quarry: We are primarily targeting Red and Fallow deer, with opportunistic chances at wild pigs and goats.
• The Tactics: As bachelor herds begin to dissolve, we expect to see stags sizing each other up. We’ll be spending hours “in the glass,” using Swarovski spotting scopes and Olin Digiscope systems to pick apart the valley faces.

Phase Two: The Alpine Razor’s Edge (Days 5–10)

Halfway through, the helicopter returns to shift us to a completely different world: a 2,000-metre high ridgeline.

• The Environment: We’ll be hunting the peaks above Misery Valley, Hellfire Stream, and Purgatory Creek. These names serve as a stark warning of the difficult terrain.
• The Mission: This leg is dedicated to Chamois, a species I have never hunted before.
• Energy Management: The valley floor sits at 1,000 metres, the chamois are likely at 1,500 metres, and we are camped at 2,000 metres. The goal is to stay on the “knife edge” of the ridge and glass downward. Every descent to an animal means an incredibly difficult vertical climb back up.

Mastering the High-Country Tech

In the alpine, gear is your primary tool for success. Preparation for this trip started months ago with extensive e-scouting.

E-Scouting and the Search for “Tarns”

Preparation for this trip started months ago on Google Earth. At 2,000 metres, access to water is a major logistical hurdle. I’ve used e-scanning to locate tarns—small alpine waterholes fed by springs or snowmelt—to serve as our basecamp lifelines.

Finding a tarn near a suitable drop-zone allows us to camp slightly below the ridge line in a “buffer zone,” preventing the wind from smashing the tents or “skylining” our silhouette to animals below.

Long-Range Precision

New Zealand shots are famously long, often exceeding 200–300 metres because the lack of thick cover makes it difficult to close the distance without being seen. We are partnering with Beretta to use some incredible hardware:

• Rifles: We’ll be carrying the Sako 90 Peak and the Lupo, both in .308.
• Suppressors: For the first time, I’ll be using a suppressor—a fantastic device for protecting your hearing in the field.
• The Game Bar: We are also putting the Game Bar Carbon Plus from Walk’n’Stalk to the test. It’s a monopod, a hiking pole, a shooting stick, and a meat-dragging handle all in one.

The Versatility of the Gamebar Carbon+

Speaking of the Gamebar Carbon+ (use code THEHUNTSMAN for 10% off) I’ve already taken this bit of kit on several hunts and have been incredibly impressed by its versatility; it’s one of those rare items that actually does “too many things” to easily summarize.

For this New Zealand trip, the Game Bar is going to be an essential multi-tool for several reasons:

• Precision Shooting: While it functions as a monopod, it can easily turn into a stable shooting stick, which will be vital for the 200–300 metre shots we expect to take across alpine faces.+1
• Alpine Traversal: In terrain as steep as Misery Valley, the Game Bar will serve as a high-strength hiking pole to help manage energy expenditure during those 500-metre vertical climbs.+1
• Camp Utility: Because we have to keep our weight under that 560kg limit, every item needs a secondary use. We’ll actually be using the Game Bar as a structural pole to hold up our tents on the ridge.
• The Harvest: Once an animal is down, the Game Bar transforms into a meat-dragging handle or a propping device to split the animal’s legs for field dressing.

It is an incredible piece of hardware that solves a dozen different problems in the bush, and I can’t wait to show you how it performs in the rugged South Island backcountry.

Survival and Sustenance

When you’re burning thousands of calories on vertical faces, nutrition is paramount. We’ll be fuelling ourselves with On-Track Meals (use code THEHUNTSMAN for 10% off)—which I genuinely believe are the best hiking meals available—and supplementing that with fresh red meat from our harvest.

We also have to be prepared for the extreme weather swings of the South Island. It isn’t uncommon to see temperatures hit 30°C during the day and drop below freezing with sudden snow at night, even in the “summer” month of February. In fact I just read this week that the ridgeline we will be hunting on just had a fresh dump of snow… in summer. So who knows what the weather will be like.

Coming Soon to The Huntsman

We are planning to bring this entire journey to you as a dedicated series. You can expect to watch the first episode of our New Zealand adventure in sometime in April 2026, shortly after we return from the field. The expedition will be broken down into a multi-episode arc, ensuring you see every high and low of the 10 days we spend in the bush.

Whether we come home with trophy heads or just empty packs and tired legs, the novelty of the experience is the real prize. Stay tuned for what promises to be one of our most challenging seasons yet!