In 2019, my wife, Robin, and I were in Key West visiting our lifelong friends and outfitter of Elkhorn Outfitters, Dick and Cheryl Dodds. They sold their outfitting business and are now booking hunts for Richard and Sarah Burdon of Glen Dene Hunting in New Zealand. They also book hunts for Mike Birch’s Hunt the Sun in Africa as well as run fishing charters out of Key West, Florida. During dinner one evening, Dick and Cheryl told us about Glen Dene Hunting and the incredible property that Richard and Sarah Burdon were operating, a family sheep ranch and hunting business.
Once home, my brother, Matt, and his wife, Kathy, decided this would be a great couple’s vacation. We sent off a deposit and booked our New Zealand hunt. Immediately, Covid hit the world by storm and the borders of New Zealand closed for three years.
In May of 2022, New Zealand was open again, so we quickly made plans to travel in March 2023 for a red stag hunt. Three years of limited hunting translated into Jurassic Park quality red stags and an abundance of animals. The huntable population of animals in New Zealand have no predators, and hunting is the only means to control numbers.
Two weeks prior to the hunt, Robin and I attended the Safari Club convention in Nashville, Tennessee. We were fortunate enough to visit with Richard Burdon, the property owner of Glen Dene in New Zealand, to discuss our upcoming hunt. The SCI show was extremely interesting with outfitters from all around the world.
After the long wait, the day finally arrived for our travel from St. Louis to Houston and then to Auckland, New Zealand and onto Queenstown. Glen Dene along with Canadian guide Gilles Bolduc picked us up for a 90-minute scenic drive to the property on Lake Hawea, just outside of Wanaka.
We arrived at a stunning setting on Lake Hawea with a beautiful lodge and our accommodations in our Geodome with central air, electric wood stoves, walk-in showers, and King size beds. The property has multiple Geodomes and cottages for hunters. Our wives were very pleased with our accommodations and the itinerary for them to go on several sightseeing tours, shopping trips, and wine vineyard tours. The ladies stayed very busy during the time we hunted and had an amazing time.
Day one was breakfast at the lodge at 6:30 a.m. and then we headed out with my guide, Dan Rossiter, to begin the hunt for red stags. We drove approximately 45 minutes to a property that Richard Burdon had recently started to manage. The property had not been hunted for five years. It was also a working sheep ranch with red stags roaming around the mountainous regions of the property. It’s hard to imagine being the first person to have access to a property no person has hunted for these many years. The red stags remind me of the historic stag- moose, known as Cervalces Scotti, roaming North America at the time of the Wooly mammoth.
On our arrival that morning, we met up with seasoned hunting guide Joe Nelson of Colorado. We made small talk as we worked our way through sheep pens and toward the mountain trail to find red stag. After about one hour, we spotted three stags feeding approximately 600 yards away. One bull looked really promising, so we decided to get into a better position to glass the stags. With the wind right, we settled on a spot slightly above them at around 150 yards. We were only able to see two of the stags. After about 15 minutes, Dan spotted the largest stag 50 yards away with only his horns visible. Dan, a seasoned hunting guide, sized the stag up and believed him to be approximately 480". After a brief discussion, I shared that I would be incredibly happy to try to harvest this monster stag if given an opportunity. It was decided that if given an opportunity, I would take the shot. Joe Nelson set up his tripod and attached a gun vise. I then set Dan’s Kimber .300 WSM rifle in the gun vise and adjusted the rifle and scope on the large stag for a look. He was nestled in a small depression with only his horns visible. The rack looked like a brush pile with the stag’s body out of view. I then used Joe’s backpack to support my backside, and this helped steady the rifle in the gun vise.
After 45 minutes, the stags had not moved and we were concerned this could go on for hours. It was decided to clap our hands and make the stags stand for a shot. After several attempts, the stags stood and began racing down the mountain. They covered approximately 100 yards before stopping to look back. With a solid rest, I pressed the trigger of the Kimber Mountain rifle and sent a round from the .300 WSM into the stag’s shoulder and he immediately collapsed. We waited a minute to make sure the stag was down for good. Many animals get smaller as you approach them, but the red stag continued to grow on our approach. After some congratulations from Dan and Joe, we had a photoshoot Sports Illustrated would have approved of.
Several hours later, we were at the truck with horns, quarters, and loins. Dan scored the stag later in the day with 48 points and a gross score of 495". After six days hunting, my brother, Matt, and I harvested two monster stags and fallow bucks.
On the final day of our trip, we attended the Wanaka A&P show. This would be comparable to a county fair in the United States. We watched professional sheep shearers trim sheep in less than one minute each. The A&P show had hundreds of vendors including wool sellers, four-wheel drive conversion suppliers, boat manufacturers, and camping and hunting supply sellers. The highlight of the day was the Jack Russell dog race where Richard Burden was the MC. Over 100 Jack Russell terriers were lined up, and as a passing horse dragged a fake rabbit, the dogs were released to chase the rabbit across the finish line. Richard and Sarah’s Jack Russell took 8th place.
Glen Dene is a special place that the Burdons and the friendly staff work hard to make a first-class experience, from the lodging to a gourmet chef who made some of the most fantastic meals. If you are every lucky enough to travel to the South Island of New Zealand, I would highly recommend you contact Dick Dodds in the United Stated or Richard Burdon at Glen Dene Hunting.
I have a few travel tips. When flying to Auckland, New Zealand, give yourself three full hours to make it through Immigration and transfer from the international terminal to the domestic terminal. It’s a 15-minute walk on the green line between terminals or a possible 30-minute wait for a bus to make the transfer, and then you have to go through security to catch a flight to the South Island. New Zealand takes security very seriously.
Convert U.S. dollars at the airport since banks in New Zealand are only open three days a week. Also, businesses in New Zealand do not take the U.S. dollar, but they do take credit cards.
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