Hunting Calendar
Roughly when the rut falls for each New Zealand game species, with public holidays and school breaks marked so you can plan around the busy times on tracks, huts and access roads. Rut timing shifts a week or two with weather, altitude and region — treat every band as approximate.
Solid core = peak rut · faded edges = approximate start and finish · national holiday · regional anniversary day. Pigs, goats and wallabies are hunted year-round with no defined rut.
January 2026
- Thu 1 Jan — New Year's Day
- Fri 2 Jan — Day after New Year's Day
- Mon 19 Jan — Wellington Anniversary
- Mon 26 Jan — Auckland Anniversary
High summer — hot, dry, long days. Hunt dawn and dusk; deer hold in cool, shaded gullies.
February 2026
- Mon 2 Feb — Nelson Anniversary
- Fri 6 Feb — Waitangi Day
Late summer — settled and warm. Stags clean velvet; tahr and chamois moving into prime coat.
March 2026
- Mon 9 Mar — Taranaki Anniversary
- Mon 23 Mar — Otago Anniversary
Early autumn — cooling, first crisp mornings. The roar builds through the month.
April 2026
- Fri 3 Apr — Good Friday
- Mon 6 Apr — Easter Monday
- Tue 7 Apr — Southland Anniversary
- Mon 27 Apr — Anzac Day (observed)
Peak roar — cool, still mornings and early frosts make for classic conditions.
May 2026
Mid-autumn — frosts, shorter days, snow dusting the tops. Whitetail and chamois rut.
June 2026
- Mon 1 Jun — King's Birthday
Early winter — cold, snow settling on the ranges. Tahr and chamois in full rut and prime cape.
July 2026
- Fri 10 Jul — Matariki
Deep winter — short days, hard frosts, fresh snow. Sambar and rusa rutting.
August 2026
Late winter — cold and often unsettled; good snowline hunting on the tops.
September 2026
- Mon 28 Sep — South Canterbury Anniversary
Early spring — thaw and lengthening days. Stags cast their antlers; weather changeable.
October 2026
- Fri 23 Oct — Hawke's Bay Anniversary
- Mon 26 Oct — Labour Day
Mid-spring — warming with fresh growth; fawns and kids dropping. Often wet and windy.
November 2026
- Mon 2 Nov — Marlborough Anniversary
- Fri 13 Nov — Canterbury Anniversary
- Mon 30 Nov — Chatham Islands Anniversary
- Mon 30 Nov — Westland Anniversary
Late spring — mild, long days. Velvet growth on stags; strong general hunting.
December 2026
- Fri 25 Dec — Christmas Day
- Mon 28 Dec — Boxing Day (observed)
Early summer — warm and long-lit. Hunt the cool of the day; the high tops open up.
Rut timing at a glance
Approximate rut windows for each New Zealand game species. Dates vary by a week or two with region, altitude and weather — the peak is the most reliable stretch.
| Species | Approx. rut window | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Red deer | 15 Mar – 30 Apr | 1 Apr – 14 Apr |
| Wapiti | 15 Mar – 30 Apr | 25 Mar – 7 Apr |
| Sika | 15 Mar – 5 May | 10 Apr – 25 Apr |
| Fallow deer | 1 Apr – 15 May | 16 Apr – 25 Apr |
| White-tailed deer | 25 Apr – 5 Jun | 10 May – 20 May |
| Chamois | 25 Apr – 15 Jul | 20 May – 5 Jun |
| Tahr | 20 May – 15 Jul | 25 May – 25 Jun |
| Sambar | 25 May – 20 Aug | 1 Jul – 15 Aug |
| Rusa | 1 Jul – 31 Aug | 5 Aug – 25 Aug |
Hunted year-round with no defined rut: Wild pig, Wild goat, Wallaby.
About this calendar
Rut windows are New Zealand-specific, drawn from the New Zealand Game Animal Council's roar guidance and cross-checked against the Department of Conservation and experienced guiding outfits. The solid core of each band marks the most reliable stretch; the faded edges are the rough start and finish, which move with the season. Pigs, goats and wallabies breed year-round and so carry no rut band.
Public holidays are shown on their observed (day-off) date and include the regional anniversary days. School-holiday blocks are a guide — exact dates vary slightly between schools.