7-DAY HUNTING COURSE March 24, 2025
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 multiday 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.
*At the bottom of this page, you will find a more detailed course outline that can be downloaded.
PRICE $3499* (MINIMUM AGE 18 YEARS)
Youth Price $1749.50** (16-17 years, accompanied by an adult)
* This is the early bird booking price. Standard rates are available on the course calendar.
**Conditions apply for youth pricing structure. See FAQ’s page.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to attend this hunting course.
Age limit
To attend OENZ hunting courses, the participant must be 18yrs or older on, or before the first day of the course. Persons 16 yrs or older may attend OENZ hunting courses if they are attending with a legal parent or guardian.
Do you need an NZ firearms licence to attend this course?
To attend this course, you do not need to hold an NZ firearms licence or have any experience using firearms.
If you do not hold a current firearms licence, 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.
Can I bring my rifle to this course?
Yes, you can. However, you do not need to. The first four days, you will have the ability to hire a firearm from the shooting range.
If you wish to bring a rifle, you must hold current NZ firearms or have organised a “visitors firearms licence” (if travelling from overseas).
Hunting 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.
Hunting course Logistics:
1st day – Drive to private hunting estate/Shooting Range, South Canterbury.
2nd day – Shooting Range, South Canterbury.
3rd day – Private Hunting Estate, South Canterbury.
4th day – Private Hunting Estate/travel to the multi-day hunting location.
5th day – Multi-day hunt/fly camping.
6th day – Multi-day hunt/fly camping
7th day – Hunting/travelling back to Christchurch.
Accommodation
Accommodation is provided for the duration of this hunting course.
You will stay in a variety of locations and accommodations throughout the course.
1st Night – Farmhouse, South Canterbury
2nd Night – Farmhouse, South Canterbury
3rd Night – Farmhouse, South Canterbury
4th Night – Backcountry Hut
5th Night – Fly Camping, Conservation Land
6th Night – Fly Camping, Conservation Land
Farmhouse South Canterbury
The farmhouse we use in South Canterbury is fully self-contained. Includes 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.
Gear and 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. A complete packing list is available to download at the bottom of this page..
FOOD
This is a self-catered course. Please pack all of your meals and snacks for the duration of the course. Evening meals can be purchased at the local pub in Arthurs Pass Village on the nights that we stay in the lodge.
Transport
Return transport is provided from Christchurch for all of the OENZ hunting courses.
Travelling from out of town?
We offer a Free pick-up service from any Christchurch accommodation if you’re travelling from out of town to attend one of our courses.
If you live in Christchurch and have transport or can get dropped off, please meet us at one of the following locations. 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 locations (catch a ride with us)
Yaldhurst McDonald 3:30 pm(see on google maps)
*Darfield Bakery 4:00 pm (see on google maps)
Castle Hill Village 4:30 pm (see on google maps)
*Our preferred meeting location is Darfield Bakery.
This 7-day Hunting course includes
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
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 rifle and load
Butchering & Skinning
- Field butchery
- Skinning
- Trophy caping
- ID cuts of meat
- Management of meat in the bush
Hunting ethics & regulations
- Hunting areas
- Private land
- Doc land
- Permits, licences & permissions
- Herd management
- Ethical kill shots & distances
*A full course outline is available to download at the bottom of this page
Hunting course FAQ
Can you fly domestically around New Zealand with a firearm?
Yes, It’s quite simple to fly domestically around New Zealand with your firearm. You will need a current NZ firearm licence or a Visitor’s firearm licence & import permit if you have travelled from overseas. Also, make sure to inform your airline in advance.
Travelling from overseas?
If you are travelling from overseas and wish to bring and use your own rifle, you will need to organise a “visitors firearms licence” and “import permit” with the NZ Police in advance.
You can find out more information about travelling with firearms in New Zealand from the NZ Police and Air New Zealand websites:
https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/
Will I get an opportunity to shoot an animal on this 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 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. Our private land partnerships have been carefully selected to ensure that we offer experiences that fall in line with a “fair chase” hunting experience.
7-DAY HUNTING COURSE DOWNLOADS
See what our clients have to say
“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
