The competition has been running for more than 30 years and is open to all hunters with a valid hunting permit for Pureora Forest Park and surrounds.

This year the competition starts on Saturday 15 March and runs through until the prizegiving on Sunday 27 April.

Deer entries need to be pre-registered at one of the recording centres listed below within 72 hours of being taken or registered fresh at the prizegiving day. Junior entries are registered at prizegiving only.

Impact of aerial pest control in Pureora

Sodium fluoroacetate (1080) was aerially applied to parts of Pureora Forest on 2 December 2024 and 13 February 2025 as part of our national predator control programme. As a result, there are no pig categories in this year’s competition due to the risk to dogs. We look forward to welcoming pig hunters back to the competition in 2026.

For deer hunters, please view the DOC pesticide summary map for Waikato (Hauhungaroa) to check where deer can safely be hunted for meat. When entering the forest, read all signs relating to the pest control operations and do not hunt with dogs in affected areas for 8-9 months from the application dates. Animals taken within the operation area (and a 2 km buffer zone for deer) should not be eaten while warning signs are erected in the forest and the site is listed on the pesticide summary.

Information about 1080 and how DOC uses it in pest and predator control is available below.

1080 – biodegradable bait pellets

Prizegiving

Date: Sunday, 27 April 2025

Location: DOC Field Base workshop, Barryville Road, Pureora Village. Location map (JPG, 252K)

Registration will run from 9 am to midday – no late entries will be accepted.

Measuring will start from 10 am.

Presentation of prizes will begin when measuring is completed and the prize list has been compiled and checked – usually by about 1:30 pm.

Hot drinks and food will be available.

Categories

Top Douglas score head 2025 – Rebecca Rix
Image: DOC

Deer

• Top Douglas-score head – with prizes for the top 5 heads
• Jaw draw – the more jaws you enter, the greater your chance of winning
• Ugliest head
• Top Douglas-score head – Junior (hunter 15 years old or younger on 15 March 2025)
• Average head

Junior competition (15 years or younger on 15 March 2025)

• Mustelid draw (ferret, stoat, weasel)
• Goat tail draw
• Rat draw

Junior hunters with at least one entry in each of these categories will also go into the Three Pest Prize draw.

Roar

• Senior (16 years +)
• Junior (15 years and younger)

For health and safety reasons, please bring your own horn if you wish to use one.

The focus is on participation, not just on the biggest/heaviest animal, so every entrant has a chance to win spot prizes. Read the competition rules to ensure you are eligible for prizes and draws.

Prizes

A range of prizes and vouchers have already been donated by:

AC Petfoods , Back Country Cuisine, BP Te Kuiti, Earth Sea Sky, Kilwell Sports, Macs Meats Home Kill Te Awamutu, Mindful Massage Mangakino, Rod & Rifle Magazine, Timber Trail Lodge and Transport , Trek n Travel Hamilton , Wooden Heart Café Benneydale, Work and Safety Supplies Limited, Wright Fishing and Outdoors Te Awamutu … and more great prizes are still coming in!

Recording centres

Fresh deer heads caught earlier in the competition must be sighted fresh and preregistered at one of the recording centres below within 72 hours of being taken. Please call during business hours to arrange a suitable time.

Competition rules

All categories

• All deer entries must be wild animals taken from within Pureora Forest Park, and contiguous forest, during the competition period. Organisers appreciate the honesty of hunters in complying with this requirement, but reserve the right to refuse any head or jaw should they doubt its eligibility. Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Participants must be present at the prizegiving day and register their entries on site to be eligible for category or spot prizes.
• All deer jaws and junior pest category entries are to be left on site for research purposes and/or disposal by DOC.
• DOC employees are not eligible to enter.

Deer

• Deer heads must be presented fresh (within 72 hours of being taken - with scalp and ears attached) at a recording centre before 5 pm on Wednesday 23 April 2025 or between 9 am and midday at the prizegiving on Sunday 27 April 2025.
• Only fresh or clean heads will be accepted for measuring on prizegiving day.
• Official measuring will be based on the Douglas Scoring System and will be carried out by approved measurers from the NZ Deerstalkers Association.
• Only one head per person will be eligible for top five consideration.
• All clean jaws taken from Pureora Forest will be accepted for the jaw draw.
• The average deer head prize will be determined by finding the most common number of points among pre-registrations. The winner will be drawn randomly from all pre-registered entries with that number of points.

Junior categories

• The hunter must be aged 15 years or younger on 15 March 2025.
• Each animal/tail registered constitutes one entry.
• All mustelids, goat tails and rats must be registered and presented at the prizegiving event in a clean and countable condition. They may be presented fresh, individually frozen, or effectively dried.
• Animals/tails in poor or rotting condition will not be accepted.
• If animals/tails are frozen together in a manner that makes counting difficult, they will only be counted as a single entry.
• Hunters must enter at least one animal/tail in each of the three junior categories to be eligible for the Three Pest Prize draw.

Contact

For further information email Ranger Antoinette Wilson at anwilson@doc.govt.nz.