Bill (?),

I take it you refer to Red Stag ? I have recently return from such a hunt in NZ.

http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=178624&an=0&page=1#Post178624

That animal cost me A$2K plus travel costs. We were restricted to the owners farm but the deer could come and go and on the second day there the weather changed and they all buggered off, so I was lucky to get the one I did. This operator also offered free range Fallow and Sitka deer. His Wapiti (elk) were behind wire. http://www.southpacificwapiti.co.nz/

Others on this forum have a broader knowledge and experience than me in regard to NZ however, as I am not primarily a deer hunter.

The opportunity and costs to hunt Red Stag are varied. The sky is the limit as far as costs go depending on how, where and what you want to hunt. Often the cost is related to the size of the stag. Traditionally I have had the perception that true free range Red Deer are more commonly ethically hunted on the South Island.

Hunting on both islands can be on public land, farms, private land and behind wire or a combination of all. The big give away for tame animals is if the antlers are clean and white on a freshly shot stag in the brochures. Red deer are traditionally forest animals which mean their antlers are stained from moving though the bush. If the antlers are pure white then the animal is either restricted to open grazeing, the wild tops of the mountains or is farm bred to be shot.

I was quoted A$6K for a 'ridge' stag on the South Island. This is a wild stag hunted at the back of someones farm. That price dropped to A$2.5K as the outfitter was keen to get clients.

NZ is like African hunting, bargain hard and don't accept the first price offered.