“What does a typical day look like when we hunt at Poronui?”

We’re often asked this question by hunters keen to distinguish between hunting outfitters. While every hunting day at Poronui is different – you’ll see various animals and species, tackle diverse terrain and line up different shots – if we had to broadly outline a typical day, it would go something like this…

The alarm goes off before the crack of dawn; our hunting guests don their camo and look forward to the day ahead. Over a continental breakfast and coffee at the lodge, we plan the final details of the hunt.
We’ve probably already covered off a lot of the details pre arrival or the night before – what kind of animal you are looking for; how much hiking you want to do; whether you’re hunting with a bow or a rifle, and what kind of range you comfortable with.

After the breakfast chat, your guide packs your gear into the truck, drive under 10 mins within our 16,000-acre property and you’re in our hunting block, just as the light is getting good enough to start spotting.
You’ll spend a few hours glassing the hills, assessing stags, moving through different valleys to numerous spots until you find ‘the one’. When the deer start going back under cover, you and your guide head back to the Lodge to refuel on a big kiwi breakfast (breakfast number 2) and to plan the afternoon.

You can take a break, catch up with the family and recharge the batteries for a few hours while the stags hide from the heat of the day.
After a light lunch, it’s time to find your stag again. What’s he done during the day? Where has he moved to? Can you find him? If so, what kind of shot will it be? How long will you have to stalk him for?

Get into position, confirm your target (you’ll probably have done some sighting in at the range on the first day with your guide), take the shot…congratulations!

Your guide will field dress your trophy and get it back to the truck so that you can celebrate with your friends and family back at the Lodge. At the end of the hunt, we help you with sorting details like whether you want a NZ taxidermist to mount your trophy, or prefer to expedite it back to your home country first (Read our blog on taxidermy and expediting).

Top off the day with a quick shower and another famous Poronui dinner featuring ample celebrations with old friends and new around the table. Festivities often carry on into the night, unless you’re planning an early start for species number two…