It is a free-to-enter, annual competition running for 4-6 weeks across the roar season (March-April). It finishes in a prizegiving day on the last Sunday in April. All participants need is a valid DOC hunting permit for Pureora Forest and surrounds.

The competition aims to build relationships between DOC and hunters by recognising the role recreational hunting plays in wild game animal management and sharing information and perspectives.

A wide range of prizes are donated by sponsors and are allocated across categories designed to:

• encourage involvement by rewarding participation, not just the top scoring entries
• target wild game animals and pest species most effectively for conservation outcomes
• provide valuable information for DOC around the local wild deer population and trends in the population size, species, and age.

So, even if you don’t have the biggest or the best, it is still worth entering as you can win some great prizes.

The 2025 competition starts on Saturday 15 March 2025 and runs through to the prizegiving on Sunday, 27 April 2025.

More details – including categories, rules, and recording centre details – will be posted here in February 2025.