EP28: South Pacific Safaris (Outfitter Spotlight)

<p>James Pinfold shot his first red deer at 9, spent his teens and early twenties rodeoing, then came home to guide hunts on New Zealand’s South Island.</p><p>Robbie sits down with James of South Pacific Safaris, an operation two hours north of Christchurch on the east coast, where the hunting country runs from the mountains down to the ocean. James’s then girlfriend’s parents had just bought the business. He came back to help them through one transition season and is still there eight or nine years later.</p><p>James covers the species the operation hunts and how each one is accessed. Red stag, fallow deer, Arapawa rams, and feral goats are hunted on a 4,000 acre home property. Tahr are hunted on a 25,000 acre private land concession further south, and chamois with helicopter access. He explains why hunts run five days on the home property and seven when tahr or chamois are added, to leave room for mountain weather, and walks through a typical day, from sighting in on arrival to the evening meal back at the lodge.</p><p>For hunters weighing a first trip to New Zealand, James talks about what he wants people to know before they arrive. He says it is safe and family friendly, with plenty for non-hunting partners and kids to do. He also covers bringing your own rifle versus using the lodge’s suppressed rifles, and how the property is set up for hunters with limited mobility. He explains why, outside the waterfowl and upland seasons, New Zealanders can hunt year round.</p><p>Then the stories. A client pushes through two brutal days for a bull tahr. A drone delivers three rounds of ammunition to a hunter who has run out. And two red stags lock antlers and cartwheel down a hill in front of James and his client.</p><p>When hunters at the shows ask what sets one New Zealand outfitter apart from another, James’s answer is the people you hunt with. He also explains why the trophy on the wall is really a reminder of the memory behind it.</p><p>Hey, can you do us a favor? If you’re enjoying the show, please give Let’s Go Guided a rating. It&#39;s free to do and it&#39;ll help us grow our podcast :)</p><p><br></p><p>Watch on YouTube:<br>https://youtu.be/dvm1ZZrzoyY</p><p><br></p><p>Let’s Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let’s Go Guided</p><p><br></p><p>South Pacific Safaris:🌐 safaris.co.nz📸 @southpacificsafaris</p><p><br></p><p>Photography credit: Courtesy of South Pacific Safaris</p>