Hunting

Party Hunts

The Branch organises and conducts 4 or 5 party hunts each year.  These are advertised on the events calendar and in the newsletters.  Party hunts are only offered to members.  A list of planned hunts is on the Party Hunts page.

If you are new to hunting, or new to New Zealand, these party hunts are a good way to get started.  An even better way is to enroll on one of our HUNTS courses

Going into the bush?  You might want to take advantage of the NZDA rates for food - Back Country Cuisine  (Members only).

HUNTS – The NZDA Hunter National Training Scheme

The NZDA Hunter National Training Scheme (HUNTS) is designed to allow novice and partially experienced hunters to gain competence in basic hunting and bushcraft skills, to enable them to successfully complete 1 to 2 day deerstalking trips, into areas below the bush line. These skills include, but are not limited to,

• Behaving in an ethical and environmentally friendly manner.
• Trip preparation and planning in order to reduce potential risks.
• Selecting the correct equipment and food to carry.
• Applying sound bushcraft, navigation and river crossing methods.
• Understanding and applying rifle safety & maintenance, ballistics and marksmanship.
• Identifying and understanding the behaviour of New Zealand’s deer species.
• Applying reliable hunting and shooting techniques.
• Skinning and butchering a deer, plus preparing trophies.
• Basic first aid and survival techniques.

The HUNTS Course is aimed at newcomers to the sport of hunting or more mature hunters who want to improve their bushcraft and hunting skills. Trainees must be at least 16 years old and preferably have a current firearms license (not essential), their own centrefire rifle (not essential), suitable clothing and equipment as well as a reasonable level of fitness.

All applicants must be NZDA members (ideally North Auckland branch members) for safety reasons and to take advantage of their $10 million public liability insurance. The North Auckland Branch has three centrefire rifles available for training purposes.

The North Auckland NZDA HUNTS Course is run by qualified HUNTS Instructors (assessed and warranted by the NZDA) with support from experienced NZDA hunters. There is a strong emphasis on firearms safety and adherence to risk management plans at all times.

The current fee is $395.00 (to be confirmed at the start of each course) and this includes a HUNTS Manual, course notes and range fees.

The course usually is run over a month starting around November each year and early applications are advised. There are 9 training modules, with training sessions on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings at our Riverhead rifle range, 1 to 2 range days, a practical navigation exercise and a mentored weekend deer hunting trip.

A Course Certificate of Attendance will be awarded to trainees who successfully complete the course.

Attendance is competitive – there are always more nominations than there are places on the course, so early application is essential.

Apply by downloading this form (Hunts Application Form.pdf), complete it and email the completed form as an attachment to:

peteb001@googlemail.com

Alternatively, post the form to:

HUNTS Training Coordinator

NZDA North Auckland Branch Inc.

848 Coatsville-Riverhead Highway

RD 3, Albany 0793