Stalking the red stag

In April, Encampment resident Robert "Bobby" Bergeson and his oldest daughter, Jana Runyan, had the opportunity to take part in a red stag hunt in New Zealand. Introduced to the islands in the late 1800s by European settlers, red deer adapted well to the lush climate and, with no natural predator, populated quickly. Though they are officially considered a pest, the antlers that are produced by the stags are considered among the best in the world.

Bergeson's son-in-law, Buck Runyan, was at a Ducks Unlimited event when the tickets for the hunt, from Wilderness Quest New Zealand, came up for bid. Runyan had the winning bid and purchased the tickets with the stipulation that Bergeson and his oldest daughter go on the hunt together. When April finally arrived, Bergeson and J. Runyan headed to Salt Lake City (SLC) to fly out.

"Day one was a long drive and long bloody flights. Eighteen hour flight and we stayed at a bed and breakfast," said Bergeson.

From SLC, the two Wyoming hunters flew to San Diego and, from there, to New Zealand and finally a smaller airplane to Christchurch. Near the bed and breakfast was a red deer farm where J. Runyan had the opportunity to hand feed the deer.

On Monday, April 9, the hunt began three-and-a-half hours from the B&B.

"From the bed and breakfast, it was three-and-a-half hours to get there. It was raining, wind blowing and by 3:30 p.m. we were out in the mountain looking," Bergeson said.

The father-daughter duo didn't see any stag the first day, but did spot a couple Tuesday morning. As of Tuesday afternoon, April 10, J. Runyan had already harvested her red stag. Bergeson, being not only a seasoned hunter, but a father, was excited for his oldest daughter.

"I didn't care if I got one or not, it was pretty awesome," said Bergeson, emotion evident in his voice.

The next day, Wednesday, Bergeson would harvest his own red stag - albeit a tad smaller than the one his daughter had shot the day before.

"When I got mine, I knew she beat me," Bergeson said.

Following the harvest of the stags, the guides employed by Wilderness Quest New Zealand dragged the animals out. The meat of the animal was donated to the local community to people in need and Bergeson and J. Runyan left their trophies with the outfitting company to be mounted European style. Bergeson expects they should be receiving their mounts in 2019.

Bergeson has hunted the terrain around Encampment and Riverside nearly all his life and, according to him, while New Zealand has some steep areas it's nothing compared to what one can find in the mountains surrounding the Valley. The seasoned hunter encouraged anyone who has the opportunity go on a hunt not to pass it up.

Following the successful red stag hunt this year, Bergeson is hoping to be able to get another chance to return to New Zealand to hunt the Himalayan Tahr, a member of the goat family that was introduced to the islands and are now found around the Southern Alps.