New Zealand chamois
Ruacapra ruacapra
Once in a lifetime
The Wild Beyond
chamois
Chamois (Rupicapra rupicarpra) arrived here in 1907 as a gift to New Zealand from then then emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph. They are now widespread through alpine regions of the South Island, with the greatest concentrations being around our homebase in Wanaka and around our Westland glaciers.
chamois
They are curious, super intelligent and have the best eyesight of any game animal we know and are generally found in steeper broken terrain. Chamois can be hunted year-round and undergo a complete colour phase change between summer and winter, with both the golden summer cape and dark heavy winter cape making striking mounts.
chamois
Our private land chamois area is vast and mountainous at 30,000 acres and comes complete with a comfortable back country cabin to hunt from daily. Our public land concession covers two of the best chamois hunting areas in the South Island, giving us incredible scope for a real wilderness adventure.
Chamois
With the rut taking place in May/June the buck behaviour generally becomes quite erratic, with chasing off other bucks and competing for the family groups of doe’s and yearlings. Outside of the rut the bucks are generally solo, and difficult to find. Which is where Southern Lakes Safari’s dedication to the craft and knowledge of these alpine species sets us apart from other outfitters.
Real life
Endless Adventure
Discover
The Backcountry
A Southern Lakes Safaris specialty, these are the hunts we live for. Flying into our public land concession, situated in New Zealand’s most remote and scenic public land hunting grounds, we’ve spent our whole lives gaining the knowledge to be able to make our clients successful in harvesting a truly mature tahr or chamois on public land.
We can adapt these trips to virtually any level of fitness and sense of adventure, but a good base level of fitness will see you enjoy this hunt soo much more. We are proud to say we are the only New Zealand outfitter serious enough about mountain hunting, that we have our concession directly with the New Zealand Government, and that our guides have high level avalanche qualifications and experience.
creature comforts
Taking in the fine dining and creature comforts before and after the hunt.
Our Guests
Love Us
“Good honest people and true professionals”
— CHASE GREENVILLE – HUNTING VIDEOGRAPHER, TEXAS
Our Guests
Love Us
“They dance across the alpine rocks making you believe you can follow their every step. A Chamois Ram is always on full alert, you never know where in the alpine they will appear, ready to race over the next face without a concern. Expect the unexpected with Chamois, they will make for a fantastic unforgettable mountain adventure.”
— VINCE LOMBARDI – AUSTRALIA
