Alpine Chamois - Rupicapra Rupicapra 

Chamois were released into our Southern Alps in 1907 after being presented to New Zealand by the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria. Since the 1960’s Chamois have been particularly well established in our South Island, and New Zealand has the only free-ranging population outside of Europe and the Middle East.

Despite moving like a ballet dancer, a chamois looks like a bandit with a black band stretching from ear to ear, covering the eyes like a mask in contrast to the creamy coloring on the rest of the head and neck. The chamois have short hair, that darkens and thickens during winter and the mating season from May to June, with a prominent black dorsal stripe that becomes flecked with a silvery white during winter.

Both the male and female chamois carry horns. Although the horns on a doe can be as long as a bucks, the males horns are usually heavier with longer hooks.

With a little bit if luck, Shane could very well guide you on this exhilarating hunt, and his motto is "if you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!"

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