7-Day Hunting Course Master backcountry hunting in 7 days with hands-on training and real field experience. / Public Courses / Hunting Courses / 7-Day Hunting Course Overview This 7-day hunting course will teach you all the skills needed to become an expert hunter in the New Zealand Backcountry. The first four days of this course are based at a private hunting estate and shooting range in South Canterbury, where we have a controlled environment to cover rifle safety, marksmanship, long-range shooting, and rifle maintenance. We guarantee at least two animals are secured on the course; therefore, a comprehensive field butchery session will wrap up this section of the course before heading into the hills for a multi-day hunt. The following three days are spent learning to hunt on public (open permit) conservation land in South Canterbury, where we will cover how to set up a fly camp and use a map and compass. As well as covering hunting techniques such as animal tracking, bush stalking and glassing techniques. Course Details Course Location This hunting course starts and finishes in Christchurch. You will visit multiple locations throughout this course. The course is delivered in multiple locations in South Canterbury: Day 1: Drive to private hunting estate/shooting range, South Canterbury. Day 2: Shooting range, South Canterbury. Day 3: Private hunting estate, South Canterbury Day 4: Private hunting estate, then travel to the multi-day hunting location. Days 5-7: Multi-day hunt/fly camping. Accommodation Accommodation is provided for the duration of this hunting course. You will stay in a variety of locations and accommodations throughout the course. Nights 1-3 – Farmhouse, South Canterbury Nights 4-7 – Backcountry hut or fly camping, Conservation Land Farmhouse, South Canterbury The farmhouse we use in South Canterbury is fully self-contained. It includes a kitchen, hot showers and sleeps up to 12 people. Camping/Fly Camping This course’s fly-camping locations are situated away from marked tracks or facilities. Tents and fly camping equipment can be hired if arranged in advance. Food Food is not provided on this course; this is a self-catered course. At the start of the course and at the end of the first four days, we will have the opportunity to shop at a supermarket. Please pack all of your meals and snacks for the duration of the course. Free Transport If You’re Travelling From Out Of Town: Free transport is available from Christchurch for those travelling to attend our courses. Check our FAQ’s for a list of hotel pickup locations. We recommend that you arrive in Christchurch the day before your course. At the end of the course, we are more than happy to drop you back at your accommodation or directly to the airport. If you live in Christchurch and have transport or can get dropped off, please meet us at the following location. From here, you’re welcome to drive your vehicle out to our training location or jump into one of our vans and ride with us. Meeting location (catch a ride with us): If you are bringing your car and want a lift, please meet us at the following location: Yaldhurst McDonald’s 9:00 am (see on Google Maps) OENZ Vans Gear & Equipment You will need your own personal outdoor clothing and boots for this course. We can supply everything else required for the course. You’re welcome to bring along your own rifle if you have one. More information about this is below. Gear List Firearms Information To attend this course, you do NOT need to hold an NZ firearms licence or have any experience using firearms. You will be able to shoot under the direct supervision of our guides. Under NZ law, an unlicensed person may use a firearm under the direct supervision of a current NZ firearms licence. You’re welcome to bring your own rifle if you have one, but it’s not required—firearms are available to hire from the shooting range for the first four days of the course. If you wish to bring your own rifle, you must hold a current NZ firearms licence or have organised a “visitor’s firearms licence” and “import permit” with the NZ Police in advance if you are travelling from overseas. Flying with a Firearm: It’s quite simple to fly domestically around New Zealand with your firearm. However, you will need a current NZ firearms licence or a visitor’s firearms licence & import permit if you have travelled from overseas. Also, make sure to inform your airline in advance. You can find out more information about travelling with firearms in New Zealand from the NZ Police and Air New Zealand websites: Air New Zealand NZ Police Is this the right hunting course for me? Hunting Flow Chart Download Flow Chart Course Outline Learn to hunt with confidence in New Zealand’s backcountry on this comprehensive 7-day course, combining expert firearms training, guaranteed animal harvest, and hands-on wilderness hunting skills in both private and public land settings. Day 1: Travel + Firearms Session Firearms safety & range rules Types of firearms available and their uses (physical examples available) Rifle calibres explained. Choosing the correct type of firearm & calibre for you Correct fitment of rifle & scope to the hunter Possibility to get out on the range Day 2: Marksmanship (shooting practice) Rifle Skills & Safety NZ firearms code The seven basic rules Cleaning and maintaining a firearm Rifle calibres explained Choosing a rifle & scope Correct fitment of rifle, scope & hunter Marksmanship Sighting in a rifle Shooting positions Bench shooting Prone (lying down) Sitting Standing Kneeling Shooting long range Truing the rifle and loading Possibility of an evening hunt Day 3: Hunting + Marksmanship Long Range: Use of ballistic apps Dialling/ adjusting up scopes Allowing for windage Truing your rifle and load (used to work out actual ballistics data) Ultimate Hunter Course The ultimate hunter course is a 3.5 km loop track with 20 realistic, life-size animal targets set out at distances from 50 meters to 450 meters. This course is designed to test your glassing skills as well as your marksmanship. Possible evening hunt. Day 4: Butchery Butchering & Skinning Field butchery Skinning Trophy caping ID cuts of meat Management of meat in the bush Day 5-7: Backcountry Hunting & Camping Gear & Equipment Packs Boots Walking poles Personal clothing Emergency communications Camping skills Selecting a suitable campsite Tent pitching Fly camping set-ups Hunting skills Scat ID Footprint ID Tracking Stalking Bush Stalking Glassing (use of binos) Spot searching Grid searching Staking out Hunting photography Species identification Trophy potential ID Planning a hunt Sessional habits of animals Download Course Outline Meet Some of Our Hunting Instructors Steve Dunphy Alan Haslip Nick Fisher Frequently Asked Questions Do I need prior experience to attend this course? You don’t need any prior experience to enrol in this course. What is the minimum age? To attend OENZ hunting courses, the participant must be 18 years or older, as of the first day of the course. Persons 16 years or older may attend OENZ hunting courses if they are attending with a legal parent or guardian. How many people will be on my course? We believe that small groups are better for this type of training. So we have a maximum client-to-instructor ratio of just eight clients to one instructor. Will I get an opportunity to shoot an animal on this learn to hunt course? Yes, everyone will be offered an opportunity to shoot an animal on the course. The last part of the course is delivered on a large, high-fenced hunting estate. OENZ will supply two animals to demonstrate stalking, shooting, skinning & butchering skills. Additional animals can be shot for a small fee (approx $100 per hind) payable directly to the estate owner. Meat from these animals is divided up at the end of the course. Why do you deliver part of your learn to hunt course in a high-fenced hunting estate? Hunting on wild public land in New Zealand is extremely rewarding, but it can also be fickle. Recreational hunting pressure, WARO (Wild Animal Recovery Operations) and pest control measures used on public land make it challenging to locate animals within the time constraints of a hunting course. What is “fair chase”? FAIR CHASE, as defined by the Boone and Crockett Club, is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the game animals. “‘Fair Chase’ is the term given to a hunt that takes place on public or private land, either free-range or game estate, where the hunted species can express natural behaviours and has a reasonable and realistic chance of evading the hunter.” Source -NZPHGA (New Zealand Hunting Guides Association). To deliver our range of hunting courses, we use a mixture of public and private. By carefully selecting our partners, we can ensure that we offer experiences that align with a “fair chase” hunting experience. Do I need a tent? We camp out on the last few nights of this course, but you can hire a tent & all the gear for any of our courses directly from us if you don’t have it. Just let us know before your course what you need, and our instructors will bring it along to the course for you. Other options are to bring along a bivvy bag or fly/tarp shelter to sleep in. Gear List Do I need to bring spare hiking boots in case they get wet? No, we have boot dryers available from the end of day two until we head into the backcountry on day four. What is the terrain like? The hunting courses are held in a variety of terrain, from open tussock terrain to dense bush and everything in between. There will be a mixture of off-track and on-track travel throughout the course. 4-day shooting stalking & butchery course photos Customer Reviews “Great to learn about the different rifles at sparrowhawk and loved going out on the morning hunts.” John, Dunedin, NZ “This course made me feel confident in my backcountry skills and developed my hunting abilities ten-fold. Thank you everyone at OENZ.” Brian, Canada “It doesn’t get anymore stereotypical kiwi than this! Such a jump start to hunting! The environment (location and people) made this an epic experience.” Dave, Auckland, NZ “Amazing to be able to shoot deer on private land as a beginner.” Don, New Zealand “Fantastic course, highly recommend.” Chris Pratt, NZ Still Have Questions? Get in touch with our team — we’re happy to help you prepare for your outdoor adventure. Contact Us
