Client Testimonials

Fallow Deer
Once again I would like to thank you, Duncan, and Beverly for an incredible trip. You and Duncan went out of your way to make sure my hunt was unbelievable. I hope I didn’t ask too many questions regarding the hunt and your wonderful country. I learned so much about New Zealand. I can’t say enough about the whole experience. Thank all of you for everything. Caz

Had a great time while at Telford’s, great hunting opportunities, with many animals to choose from, I was very successful and exceeded my expectations, trophy quality was excellent with stunning scenery surrounding you! Both Gerald and Duncan are competent and professional at what they do and also great to be around, with good sense of humour and rational thought process, I felt safe and in good hands at all times. 

The hunt’s difficulty is driven by your physical abilities, they try very hard to stay within your limitations. If in good shape and up for a challenge, Duncan will surely make sure you are tired at the end of every day!

The accommodations at Hawea are clean and comfortable , with everything that you need, food is great, supplied lunches for whole days in the field , they will even cook some of your harvested game for you if you like . The staff there was very nice and treated me very well with answers and solutions to anything that I required. Very comfortable atmosphere, talked to several different outfitters before I booked, felt that I got the most honest answers from Telfords, was treated very fairly, no bullshit! I am booked again for spring of 2020, maybe I will go fishing too.

Harl Christianson
From Saskatchewan Canada
Hunted in 2018

Hunting Red Stag

The experience was a great balance of hunting, relaxation, and fellowship. Especially for the English speaking client, this is a very user friendly destination. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to enjoy all New Zealand and what the outfitter have to offer. Not only did I hunt with the outfitter but also enjoyed some tremendous trout fishing. This will be a hunt with no regrets.

David Harrell
Texas, USA, April 2013

Rhonda, Derek, Andie and I had a great time with the Telfords this past April. I initially emailed Gerald with several questions about how we would balance the hunting that Derek and I wanted to do, with two non-hunters in Rhonda and Andie joining us on some of the hunts as observers, but also being able to find other things for them to do, and the four of us together as well. Gerald’s responses were always very encouraging, stressing the flexibility to meet our diverse group’s needs. That flexibility and willingness to understand what was important to us, and his ability to make that happen, turned our trip from a very good to one of our very best trips ever as a family.

The hunting was terrific, and Gerald did a great job putting us on trophy Red Stag, Fallow Deer and even a nice Arapawa Ram. Rhonda and Andie even joined me on an afternoon hunt where they get to watch me thin the rabbit population a bit, and they laughed at my enthusiasm to do so! We also worked with Gerald to set up a horseback riding adventure for Rhonda and Andie, and they enjoyed a beautiful day enjoying the New Zealand countryside from the back of a horse. Gerald also recommended a wine tour company, Funny French Car Tours I believe, to take the four of us to several local wineries. We had a great time, enjoyed the local Pinot Noir very much and shipped some home. Gerald even recommended a helicopter tour operator and we spent an afternoon flying down to Milford Sound, along the rugged coastline, and landed on a high plateau overlooking a river valley to enjoy cheese and a beer! How good is that?!

In addition, we loved the evening conversations over dinner with the other hunters and their families. Great food, great conversation and new friends were made. All in all, this trip goes down as one of our favourites. Thanks to you Tony, for recommending the Telfords, their operation delivered on what we truly wanted, and helped us to make lifetime memories as a result. Thank you!

Alan, Rhonda, Derek and Andie Kindsvater
From USA
Hunted in April 2019

…If you are looking for a true free-range bow hunting experience in New Zealand without the aid of high-wire fences…then Gerald Telford is your man…

Kevin Owens
Ca, USA

NZ Fallow Buck

We had a great time and experience working with Trophyseekers Worldwide Inc. and Telford Hunting NZ Ltd.

This was my first international hunt. I am sure I wore out Tony with 100 questions before the trip. He was accommodating and answered all my questions. We built a trusting relationship.

Telford Hunting New Zealand is a great family run operation with broad hunting access. Our guide (Duncan) picked us up at the airport, drove us to the hotel and made everything easy. The hotel was the best in the area with great food and service.

Duncan provided me his rifle, sighting and served as an excellent guide. He was spot on with animals and it was a very successful hunt taking two animals…Red Stag and awesome Fallow Deer on consecutive days.

John Elser (Rifle Hunter)
From USA
Hunted in 2019

We were referred to Gerald and Sue through mutual friends at the SCI Drayton Valley Chapter. Our group consisted of four hunters and two non-hunters. During the hunt our group was fortunate to take five magnificent Stags, three great Fallow Bucks, two heavy Bull Tahr and two trophy Arapawa Rams.

The hunting area is incredibly well managed and we saw lots of game throughout the hunt. The guides are true professionals and knew the area and the game like the back of their hand, and made sure we had every opportunity to be successful. The lodging and food was simply amazing, and conveniently located 10 minutes from the hunting area. While the guys were hunting, the ladies were enjoying lattes by the open fire, going on wine tours, horseback riding, hiking, shopping, and taking in the world-class views around Lake Hawea.

If you dream of hunting New Zealand, there is no better outfit than Telford’s Hunting and Fishing. Special thanks to Gerald and Sue, and guides Duncan Stewart and Ewan Bennie for making this a trip of a lifetime! We arrived as clients and left feeling like family. We can’t wait to come back and hunt Chamois!

Eric Sieben
From Drayton Valley, AB, Canada
Hunted in 2019

Red Stag Web Cam

Our trip to New Zealand was the most unexpected fabulous trip that I have ever been on! I truly thought I’d be hanging out doing a lot of book reading while Brian was off hunting. I think that I’m the one who had the most fun! You truly filled my week.

Joan Kornblatt
Georgia, USA

New Zealand Red Stag

My wife and I had a wonderful visit to New Zealand some years back when I hunted stags with Gerald. It was a great hunt for me and a super vacation for Judy. Judy always claimed she had a better time than me. Sue arranged all kinds of activities for her, including tandem skydiving. In the mean time, Gerald and I were working hard at getting a representative stag with my recurve bow, which I finally did, in the last hours of the hunt.

Due to my failings, it was actually a Ruger/recurve stag since it required a little assist.

Now, I have been fortunate to have bow hunted in a bunch of places over the years. That includes nine countries on five continents. But for all our travels, we haven’t backtracked to hunt with the same hosts. A matter of too many places and too little time! But, we just had to go back to New Zealand to share it with Judy’s sister and her husband. And, I just had to get one of those stags with just my recurve. And, of course we had to go with Telford’s.

Once again, everyone had great time. Bro-in-law survived his bungy jump and the ladies enjoyed the shopping and wineries. The food and pub were a big hit and the views from the accommodations were over the top. And, once again, Gerald worked hard at trying to get me in close until the next to the last day when his knowledge of the stags put me at 20 yards from one I could not have even dreamed about. Just look at that stag! I could go on about the hunt and do with anyone that asks! Beautiful scenery, good hunting, and great people! What a great experience all around. Thanks, Gerald.

Richard King,
From Montana, USA
Hunted in March 2019

Have been fortunate to hunt pretty much all over the world. (Retired now after 43 years as a PSE Archery Regional Sales Rep). The Red Stag hunt with Gerald was certainly at the top. Very, very professional guides and I have never been with any anyone that knows the lay of the land being hunted like Gerald and Duncan.

It’s like they could read the critters’ minds as well. Land perfect for spot and stalk with a bow. Great accommodations to include archery targets to allow you to check out your equipment after arriving. Also Gerald is quite a bowhunter himself. This was a big plus for me. Recommend you prepare physically much the same for and elk hunt. They called them hills, I called them mountains. Most beautiful place my wife and I have ever hunted or visited. Got lucky the second day of the hunt and stalked a very nice 400 plus Stag.

John Landrum
April 2017

Landrum and Hackman

“Great airline, fantastic guide, great food, great lodging, lots of animals. I have already recommended this hunt to many friends, Telford hunting and fishing is the best by far.”

Real Chalifoux
Alberta, Canada April 2016

Cameron
This hunt was a hunt of a lifetime for me to travel from Red Lake, Ontario, through Winnipeg and fly through Vancouver to NZ via Australia for second part of the vacation. My Guide Duncan and the owner Sue Telford provided the best experience one can have. I had planned a hunt to take one Red Stag and one Fallow Buck. In four days I ended up taking two beautiful Red Stag, one great Fallow Buck and one trophy Arapawa Ram. This outcome was way beyond my expectations.

Accommodations and hunting were nothing less than fantastic. I would recommend this hunt to anyone interested in a archery hunt for Red Stag.

Richard Cameron
Canada March 2015

First trip to NZ. This is extremely wife friendly and a fun, low pressure hunt. Gerald and Sue Telford are perfect hosts. Sue has a plane and does a lot of tour guiding. Gerald is a fishing and hunting guide and knows this area extremely well.

The Tahr area was away from his home area but we saw many Tahr in the two days we hunted them. The double on Tahr was my personal highlight as we stalked up on four bulls and had a hard time deciding on which to take, so I took the two biggest! Fallow and Stag are in abundance and free range. Chamois is the toughest due to where they are and the numbers. Chamois do not hang out in large groups and are hard to get up on. We hunted everything on foot, no helicopters. I highly recommend Gerald and Sue!

Ross Murphy
Texas, USA April 2014

murphy-chamois

Game was plentiful. My guide wouldn’t let me take a small Tahr. He knew the area and the abundance of large animals. He saved me from hiring a helicopter by knowing game location!

Doug Kuhn
Arizona, USA May 2016

I have to say that of the 3 weeks we spent in NZ, that the hunt, your hospitality, the lodgings and the food that first week were the highlights of the trip. Your kids were fun for us to, they gave us a little reminder of home and we’ll miss them to.

Sue, I think that the household and food were the best we had while in NZ. Mom and Susie really appreciated the time you spent touring with them, the highlight was the plane ride. The only complaint I heard from them was that you Kiwis drive too fast on mountain roads! The abundance of free range wild game in the stag area was really impressive. It was sure nice (a real good thing I assure you) that whenever I messed up or got “blown” out of a stalk that there was another chance not to far in the future to try again. As I recall I think we saw/stalked seven or eight stags that first day, and nearly that the second. The Fallow property was equally impressive, rain or shine the bucks were snorting just over the next rise it seemed. That second afternoon when I managed to stalk, blow the stalk (or rather got winded, or seen, or who knows what) stalk again, blow the stalk…well I think four or five times before the last one headed across the creek at the bottom of the draw, was the most exciting, there were deer everywhere (that was part of the problem you see). Well, let’s think on that, almost being trampled by a heard of fallow does and buck when they came flying over the rise in our faces was pretty darn exciting to, I wish I had a camera shot of those deer when they came up over the rise (and maybe one of Gerald’s and my faces to as we ducked). The opportunity to hunt rabbits and turkey after the main hunt was great fun. Finding the group of boars on the mountain the last day was equally appreciated and exciting for bowhunting. Who would have thought that I needed to go to NZ to get my first, and second boars with the bow? That was a pretty impressive hump up that little hill with the pig on your back too Gerald. The sites way up on that mountain ridge were just about as good as the pigs we found. When time and money permit in the future I will be back to hunt Tahr and Chamios, maybe I’ll give another go at the Fallow to, we left some big ones out there. I’ll do my best on the Tahr in prime season with the bow too, maybe you Gerald will be up for taking your bow to (or you will take a back-up rifle). For Chamios, a rifle might be the best alternative. We’ll stay in touch, thanks again for all your efforts before, during, and after this hunt.

Daniel Blumer
April 2008 – Wisconsin

I want to thank you two for everything you did on our recent Stag and sheep hunt to make it very successful and give me the chance to mark this off my ”Bucket List”. You two are GREAT people that have a successful business and you know how to treat people.

Tony and Duncan are GREAT guides and you are lucky they are working for you and Sue. I have had a lot of questions about our trip to New Zealand and hopefully this leads to more business for you!!!!!!!

Dan Esch, April 2014

The experience was a great balance of hunting, relaxation, and fellowship. Especially for the English speaking client, this is a very user friendly destination. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to enjoy all New Zealand and what the outfitter have to offer. Not only did I hunt with the outfitter but also enjoyed some tremendous trout fishing. This will be a hunt with no regrets.

David Harrell
Texas, USA, April 2013

Hare

It was certainly a big pleasure for Sandy and I to be able to hunt with you, your family, Duncan, and of course your other guests. It took all of about an hour until we felt right at home at the Telford’s and we are most thankful for all of your great hospitality.

I’m also unlikely need to tell you what a great find Duncan is to your operation as I’m sure you know that. I really liked hunting with him and would recommend him to anyone who might think of hunting in New Zealand.

Brian & Sandy McLachlan
Calgary, Canada, April 2013

Brady kindly YouTubed us his 2007 Red Stag hunt with us. Guided by Duncan and Morty. Enjoy.

Brady Sulliavan

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