New Zealand Bull Elk

It was in 1905 that the only liberation of North American Elk took place, in the inhospitable Fiordland National Park, in the southwestern corner of the South Island. The area consists of steep glaciated valleys, clad in dense rain forests, surrounded by towering bluffs and snow capped mountains.

The area is subject to a rainfall level exceeding 300 inches annually.

The Rocky Mountain Elk adapted readily to their new environment and in the early years grew antlers approaching the best that their North American forebears produced. Unfortunately, the herd expansion was halted by the topography and the fast encroaching Red deer herds with which they interbred.

Hunting Elk with Kiwi Safaris New Zealand

Because there are so few pure Elk left in the wilds of Fiordland, the only hunt we offer is a ‘game estate’ hunt in the South Island. Each year we take some exceptional bulls, with both rifle and bow in the 300-400+SCI range. Elk or Wapiti as they are known in New Zealand can be hunted from the middle of February through to August. The Elk bugle starts in March and continues through April.