Taranaki Guided Hunting

Target species

• Wild Boar
• Goats (lesser game species)
• Small game

We travel to our hut using a Land Rover and from the hut, explore the back country for wild pigs. Our home block hunting trips are always exciting. Hunters can choose their own pace, whether they want to walk the valleys and ridge tops or are in need of a break from work and want to travel solely by quad bike and snipe, there are always plenty of shooting opportunities. All of our hunters so far have become repeat clients.

As much as Taranaki guided hunting is about the challenge of stalking and sniping wild pigs, our true forte is the tutoring and fine tuning of hunter shooting skills in a fun and relaxed manner. Some of our hunters come from a background of limited shooting experience, others are highly experienced but wish to hone certain skills. After a Taranaki hunt, our clients leave with an immense sense of accomplishment, long lasting memories and enough bacon to last several months!

Our local pigs are immensely tough to put down and are also difficult targets in this country. Shots can occur as close as 25 yards and as far as the hunter can shoot however, the common range has been 300 yards. At this range, because of the shortness of the legs and density of vegetation, the target area on pigs is small and challenging.

Hunter’s must have a rifle that is both powerful and accurate. Minimum caliber is 6.5x55 loaded to full pressures. Rifles/ hunters must be capable of shooting 1” at our 100 yard rifle range (bench) prior to the hunt. Back up rifles and tutorials will be provided if problems are evident, cost of rifle hire for a 3 day trip is $100 to cover ammunition. Success rates on this hunting block depend on rifle accuracy and power, not game numbers.

This is a real hunting block, no high wires. Whether we encounter a porker sized pig (30-40kg) or a big trophy boar is entirely the luck of the draw. Hunters will be emailed a kit list (things like head torch/ day bag etc) and will be required to bring their own alcohol (to share with their humble guide) plus day snacks such as muesli bars/chocolate.

I can and do cater to any fitness level. For hunters with fitness difficulties, particularly older hunters, please tell me about your limitations so that I can arrange the hunt appropriately, observe game ahead of time and determine potential sniping positions.

Standard hunt, single hunter, 2 nights / 3 days, 1 pig, goat shooting.
Price: $1050.

Package includes:

• One hunter- plus spouse/family member friend etc if this is preferred
• One pig
• Goat shooting as time allows
• Two nights stay/ three days
• Food and transport supplied
• Extra nights $150
• Extra pigs $150

Standard hunt, Two hunters, 2 nights / 3 days, 1 pig, goat shooting.
Price: $1300.

Package includes:

• Two hunters
• Two pigs
• Goat shooting as time allows
• Two nights stay/ three days
• Food and transport supplied
• Extra nights $200 (for both hunters- not $200 per hunter)
• Extra pigs $150

Back up rifles
We have a selection of back up rifles available for hunters, both right and left handed. Cost of rifle loan for a three day hunt is $100 to cover ammunition expenses.

basic cost break down:
Food $120
Fuel $80
Land owner fee $150 per person
My time: 2 days prep, 3 days in field $700 ($140 per day)

Feedback from past clients

I was recommended to Nathan by a good friend who had been on a hunt with Nathan and spoke extremely highly about it. I had been hunting off and on since I was young fella (12 years old) and had always dreamed of been able to shoot accurately at long range (probably as a result of watching far too many sniper movies!).

Over my early years of hunting I had well and truly convinced myself (or should I say proven to myself) that I was a poor shot. I had been on numerous hunts where I had done all the hard work of locating my game and carefully stalking into a position where I could shoot only to find that once I pulled the trigger the animal would disappear into the distance at a huge rate of knots as I cursed to myself about my dreadful shooting ability. My motto quickly became ... "stalk in so damn close that you can't miss."

I convinced another mate to come with me and contacted Nathan and set up a time to do a Precision Long Range Tutorial Hunt later that year (Sept 2008). Prior to heading off on the hunt I sent my rifle (a Savage 12 Varmint Low Profile (heavy barrel) in .308 calibre with a Leupold VX1 4-12x40 scope) down to Nathan for accurising.

We arrived at Nathan's place on a Friday at midday. My goals for the trip were to be shooting accurately and consistently out to 100 yards by the end of the trip. By the end of the trip I wanted to be confident that if I saw a target at 100 yards I could get a clean kill.

After meeting Nathan's fantastic wife Stephanie (Steph) and daughter Riley we were treated to a cup of tea and a home baked muffin as Nathan took us through everything he had done to my rifle. The accurising process had taken the rifle from grouping 2-3 inches at 100 yards to sub 1 inch groups at 100 yards.

Prior to me arriving, Nathan had also carefully chronographed the rifle's performance on his range and calculated out the trajectories for the rifle using the different types of ammunition that I usually shot through it. He provided me with a summary chart of trajectories that enabled me to quickly and easily calculate the shooting adjustments that I needed to make at different ranges.

Once we had gone through the details of what had been done to the rifle and I understood the basics of how a .308 bullet would perform when being shot from my rifle, we headed out to the shooting range. The range was a standard 100 yard range with a bench. I was nervous that Nathan was going to soon realize that he had a bit of a basket case of a shooter on his hands and a few hours later he would be sending me away with his head in his hands.

Nathan jumped on the bench first and shot off a couple of rounds demonstrating good shooting technique and highlighted a number of key points. I then sat down at the bench and Nathan made a number of key adjustments to my technique. I then shot off my first three shot group and couldn't believe when it came out at about 3/4 of an inch! I initially put it down to a fluke but soon proved it wasn't as subsequent groups were just as good.

We continued shooting at the range trying different types of ammunition and analyzing the different groupings that they produced. Nathan continued to refine my shooting technique throughout this time. He didn't seem to be pressed for time at any stage and the wealth of knowledge that poured from him was unbelievable.

After a couple of hours on the range, Nathan said that it was time to go to the next level. We jumped on the quad bike and drove for 10 mins up one side of a big valley on the farm. Nathan pointed across the valley and said, "Do you see that steel gong over there?" I responded that I couldn't see anything. He passed me his binoculars and directed them in the direction of the gong. After careful examination I noticed a small steel gong approximately 6 inches square attached to a steel frame all but invisible to the naked eye.

Nathan immediately said that he wanted me to shoot it. I told him he had to be kidding! I was already feeling very proud of myself for shooting some good groups on a range at 100 yards off a bench but this was a whole another level. He had to be joking. I quickly realized he wasn't.

I prepared for the shot carefully and Nathan took me through the process of calculating the trajectory of the bullet at this distance using the summary card he had provided me with. We had a 15 mph wind at 9 o'clock blowing down the valley. The gong was exactly 300 yards away directly across the valley. After making the appropriate adjustments, I took the shot and just missed. Nathan gave me a few more bits of advice and I took another shot and just missed again! Another few adjustments and bang I hit dead center!! I couldn't believe it. I had just nailed a 6" target at 300 yards across a valley!

From that point on I took shot after shot at the gong and hit it every time. I felt like Carlos Hathcock. In my mind I was a crack shot now. Any wild game with a 1000 yard radius better watch out! I couldn't believe it. I was hoping to be able to shoot accurately at 100 yards by the end of the trip. Here I was very rarely missing at 300 yards dealing with real world conditions half a day into the trip. To say I was on cloud 9 would be an understatement!

The next couple of days we spent hunting and I barely missed. I nailed goats and pigs at everything from 250 yards to 500 + yards and managed a nice clean one shot kill on a goat at over 700 yards. It was good times all round. Many times I just sat back and shook my head in disbelieve that I had just pulled off another long range shot.

I went back home at the end of the trip with my shooting completely turned on its head. I very rarely miss now with my Savage .308 when shooting at anything out to about 500 yards and are experimenting more and more with greater distances. The thought that I could have achieved this prior to this trip was inconceivable.

Since my initial trip Nathan has become a good friend and I have become a regular customer. He is a top kiwi bloke with a great family who are incredibly hospitable. His knowledge of rifles, hunting, calibers, cartridges and shooting in general is unbelievable. If you want to completely take your shooting abilities to a whole another level, then without a doubt, this is your man.

David Kelly
Auckland
(David is the client featured on our Youtube link, shooting the heavy barreled Savage)



WhenI first met Nathan I thought “this guy is nuts”. Now I’ve got to know Nath, I can’t believe how right I was.

Nathan is completely nuts about rifles, accuracy and all things hunting. He’s the type of guy who can talk all day about a small aspect of hunting or on the other hand cover the topic in just a few easily understood sentences. But get him talking about pigs and it is soon evident that Nath loves pigs with a passion. On our first hunt together Nathan taught me more about the habits and characteristics of the wild pig than I had learnt in the previous ten years.

We were sitting on a vantage point glassing and talking when Nath casually says, “here one comes, it’s about time too, they are a bit later than usual tonight” At 640 yards, it was miles further than I was comfortable with at that time, so after a quick chat on the options we had available we jumped on the quad and roared around to another point where Nath hoped to get a closer shot. The plan worked and I took the pig at 168 yards.

Now after a few hunts with Nathan I have learnt heaps, my ability and confidence to take long shots has grown immensely. But still every time we talk, the knowledge flows. One of the points I admire most about Nathan is his willingness to share the knowledge than he has learnt the hard way so freely. Another is the way he takes the pressure off the hunter and easily laughs away when I completely flunk a shot.

I now consider Nath and his wife Steph as friends and if you are looking for a fun filled time hunting in what can only be described as a “hunting paradise” then talk to Nath, you won’t be disappointed.

Ross Goldsack
Taranaki
(Ross is also on our Youtube links above, taking goats at 842 yards)