Treetops Lodge and Wilderness Experience, New Zealand
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The first fingers of fire light up the grey eastern sky. Over the 1,000 hectare expanse of the Treetops Estate, skeins of mist roll away with the approaching dawn. The moan of a rutting stag pierces the chill morning air. Silhouetted on a vantage point, you can see him, one of the magnificent trophy animals that draw sports enthusiasts to Treetops from around the globe.
A little later the sun has warmed the air and the mist has cleared. As you set off, gun broken over your arm, you’ve scarcely walked for five minutes before the dogs suddenly point and the cover explodes as two monster pheasants leap into the air.
Red deer and pheasant are only two of the many game species that flourish in New Zealand’s premier sports trophy reserve. Wapiti (elk), sika, sambar and fallow deer are all managed on the estate, along with one of New Zealand’s finest herds of wild rams and wild pigs. There is also a healthy population of quail and duck, for whom no less than six wetlands, ranging in size from 0.6 to 2.5 hectares, have been created over the last seven years. Treetops is now regarded as offering the finest upland game bird and water fowl shooting in New Zealand, following one of the largest breeding and liberation programmes ever seen in the country.
Many guests who have achieved a prize red stag trophy swap their rifle for a trout rod and head for one of Treetops’ seven private streams and ponds. Set amongst one of New Zealand’s finest rainbow and brown trout fishing regions, Treetops offers anglers exciting fishing right in its own 1,000 hectares of private land. The clear, cold, highly oxygenated waters of its spring fed streams nourish a large population of rainbow, brook and brown trout. The ponds on the property have been enhanced to create habitats that are ideal for larger trout.
The highly successful development of Treetops as a premier sports venue has been based on a commitment to good game management, says owner John Sax. “We recognised early on that game management is effectively eco management, and that it necessitates the implementation of a conservation policy and a sustainable harvest regime. Good game management looks at what can be put back in to the environment. The never ending question is ‘how can we make this environment better for man and wildlife for a better tomorrow?”
The lush look of the property is also the result of years of effort, including planting of over 70,000 trees.
“One of the key factors affecting the sustainability of wild life is the timing, quality and quantity of the food supply,” says Sax. “You can’t sustain a population if the total feed supply is only there for a couple of months a year.” Working in close co-operation with government and private agencies, the Estate was planted in a range of crops preferred by game species to provide continuous year round feed. Quick growing and maturing species like shadbush, chokeberries and catoniastas initially held the fort. After 15 years, longer term planting such as oaks, cherries and elders are now maturing.
Pockets of virgin native bush throughout the estate, including some spectacular stands of tawa trees, have been carefully preserved. Care has also been taken to retain cover and food sources favoured by protected native species such as the kereru (native pigeon) and fern bird. Undesirables like possums, ferrets, goats, rats and rabbits are kept out of the estate by 12 km of high perimeter fences, triple electric fence wires, buried chicken mesh and traps.
Inside the estate, deer are eco managed by offering them crops like red clover and swedes, which they much prefer to native forest vegetation. Wild pigs are controlled using a similar strategy. And yes, wild venison and pork appear regularly on the Treetops menu.
The temperate climate of northern New Zealand has also helped Treetops produce some of the finest trophies in the world, says John Sax. “The lush vegetation growth found at Treetops is one of the key factors in the growth of many of our large stags. The habitat at Treetops is arguably New Zealand’s finest and has also ensured that it has one of the highest deer densities of any reserve in New Zealand and thus a wide range of animals to choose from. Treetops has the enviable record of having achieved a 100% success rate to date in successfully guiding clients to a trophy stag of their choosing”.
“We are also proud of the fact that all red stags taken at Treetops are of SCI record book quality. Most of our clients are seeking a good representative quality stag which is typically 12-14 points and approximately 36 inches or so in length. The majority of animals harvested score under 300 SCI but each year we guide hunters onto Gold Medal, Diamond and Royal (400 SCI+). Due to the geographic location of Treetops in a tranquil, secluded valley, hunting conditions remain comfortable throughout the season, which runs from the rut in March until the end of August.”
Treetops offers a selection of 6 and 8 day personalised packages for discerning hunters, including Thar and Chamois Alpine hunts in the Southern Alps.
Affiliation(s):
Owner: Alma & John Sax Manager: Heiko Keiser
Treetops
351 Kearoa Road RD1, Horohoro Rotorua
New Zealand
