Testimonials

Debbie and I returned to hunt with James mid February this year(2024), our 2nd trip with him. With the special season for Paradise ducks underway, our first morning  saw an early morning drive through thick fog to a stubble field, where James picked the perfect spot! 40 odd 'parrys' and a dozen or so pigeons were in the bag by 9am.

The afternoon saw us lying up overlooking a river, waiting on a deer to appear and a fine fallow doe obliged. That was dinner sorted for our continued tour around the South of the Island! Utilising his extensive network of contacts in the region, James guided us around various farms, chasing 'parrys' and pigeons over the next few days, interspersed with an overnight hunt in the ranges! Just Awesome! 

Debbie shot her first ever deer under the expert guidance of James and Gordon followed up with another first by adding several goats to his list shortly after! No trout were harmed on this trip but stalking them in crystal clear water is a challenge not to be missed! Early mornings and late nights are the norm but each hunt is unique and set amongst truly spectacular scenery and wilderness and tailored to the client's wishes with the principle of a 'fair chase' at the heart of it!

James goes above and beyond to provide for his clients. From his vast hunting experience, James provides several options for each day and you are guaranteed to encounter genuine Kiwi hospitality and friendliness and not forgetting a good yarn or two thrown in for good measure from him and the good people he introduces you to. Our trip ended with a big, lucky stag, making good his escape. We'll save him for the next trip! - Gordon & Debbie Pebbles, Scotland. Third trip booked with James.

“I have hunted free-range wild game animals with James Gray on seven occasions over the last 15 years, and I have always enjoyed his professionalism and friendly down-to-earth positive approach to the New Zealand hunting adventure. Together we have hunted fallow & red deer stags, wild boar, chamois, and – on our last trip – I harvested a 13+ inch Thar bull, under James’ guidance. We have accessed remote mountainous back country and local environments by quad bike, 4x4 truck and helicopter, as well as walk-in backpacking hunts for 3 to 5 days. James has an in-depth hunting knowledge of NZ trophy game animals and draws on his vast experience of seasonal animal behaviour and the environments that they live in to provide a successful and exciting hunt.” – Nigel Gavin, NZ

“I undertook a five-day hunt with James Gray. From the pick-up to the drop-off, I could not fault his operation. James has exceptional knowledge of game bird habits and his ability to predict their behaviour ensured that I made my bag limit almost every day. It was refreshing to see James’ relationships with the numerous interesting farmers on whose land we hunted were based on respect and goodwill. James has a wealth of useful hunting information gathered in both New Zealand as well as overseas, and he is a fantastic raconteur. His ability to turn game animals of various types into tasty meals must be seen (or tasted) to be believe. I unreservedly recommend James Gray as a bird hunting guide because he is first and foremost a man of the land who understands and respects it. I look forward to hunting with him again.” – Russell Woods, Brisbane, Australia. Return client three times to James.

“Dear James, I wanted to thank you for all you did for me. The visits to the farms and stations were as memorable as the hunting. I especially enjoyed meeting your family. You had an amazing ability to know just how I wanted to hunt, and left up to me. I probably would not have worked as hard or would chosen the more comfortable options, but I really have much more fun when pushed a bit and you seemed to understand that. Once again thanks so much.” – Fred Marino, USA

“Dear James, Kynan and myself had a wonderful time hunting with you over these past five days. I must say that the bird shooting was fabulous, and you seem to know all the correct places and have the right contacts required to hunt the various farms that we did. Shooting our limits with the Paradise ducks was awesome. The Kiwi experience was fantastic, and you really took care of us. I recommended this hunt to some of my other buddies here in India, more so to a few fathers who want to have a Father & Son hunt as we did. I am sure you will be hearing from them soon. Hope to see you again in the summer and to go after those trout we had to leave behind.” – Darius S. Chenai, India

“James Gray is probably the best guide I have ever had, and I have hunted in several countries. He will work from dawn to dusk to put you on the birds. He has hundreds of farm contacts, and we had no trouble getting permission when we spotted birds. Of the seven days, our low-day was 26 Paradise ducks. We limited out three of the seven days on the ducks and added five to seven Canadas for two-day totals of 46 and 47. James will furnish you with all kinds of references, and if you book with him, you won’t regret it. This is a trip of a lifetime!” – Bob Graves, (USA) returned client five times