Annual Pureora Hunting Competition opens
2 min read
NZDA’s Mark Sarjeant carrying out scoring work during the event’s prizegiving last year. Photo: DOC
The Department of Conservation’s (DOC) annual Pureora Hunting Competition kicked off on 16 March and will continue until the prizegiving at the DOC Pureora Field Base on 28 April.
The competition, which first started in 1988, remains a favourite among the upper and central North Island hunting communities, with a strong focus on participation and camaraderie, said DOC senior ranger community Ray Scrimgeour.
“Although the weight or size of the animals is a key feature of the competition, we always like to ensure every hunter has a chance to win, so there are plenty of spot prizes, average weight divisions, and prize draw categories too,” said Scrimgeour. Focusing on pigs and deer taken from the Pureora Forest, the competition is free to enter for any hunter with a current DOC permit to hunt in the area.
Free kiwi aversion training for dogs will also be offered at the prizegiving. DOC urges hunters to take up this opportunity to help protect kiwi in the wild and contribute to the preservation and protection of Pureora Forest.
Hunters keen to participate in the training should email jutaylor@doc.govt.nz to register a place. Hunters putting their dogs through kiwi aversion training can also win a family pass to the Otorohanga Kiwi House.
“NZ Deerstalkers Association and the NZ Pig Hunting Association are crucial to the management and delivery of the event,” says Scrimgeour.
“They are key hunting community stakeholders and provide us with excellent advice and support, as well as carrying out the official Douglas measuring at the prizegiving.”
There are four competition categories – deer, pigs, a new junior category (focusing on rats, mustelids and goat tails), and the ‘roaring’ competition.
Entries can be sighted at one of 13 recording centres throughout the competition and all entries registered at the prizegiving are eligible to win category and spot prizes.
Competition prizes have been donated by a range of organisations in the hunting sector and by local businesses.
For more information on the Pureora Hunting Competition, including competition categories and rules, visit doc.govt.nz/pureora-hunting-competition.
