Bush to Belly event in Punakaiki celebrates wild goat meat
Introduction
DOC on the West Coast is joining up with the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) to run a “Bush to Belly” event in Punakaiki focused around preparing goat meat to eat.Date: 07 October 2024
The event is being held on Saturday 19 October between 10 am and 1 pm at the DOC Punakaiki workshop and is part of the National Wild Goat Hunting Competition. It will include a demonstration of how to butcher a goat, as well as a chance to taste goat cooked by a variety of methods.
There will be talks about hunter and firearms safety and on DOC’s work protecting the environment from wild goats. People will also be able to meet some of the dogs and hunters who work to reduce wild goat populations on the West Coast.
Community Ranger Maire Hearty, who is helping to organise the event, says it is a great chance to learn how to break a goat down to different cuts and get some ideas about how to prepare the meat in different ways.
“Goat meat is great in curries, on the barbeque and roasted, and people will be able to try meat cooked these ways on the day.”
Fiona Anderson, DOC Regional Lead for Wild Animals, says wild goats are prolific breeders, and can double their population every year when there is lots of food around and limited hunting pressure.
“There are thousands of wild goats around Punakaiki, they really love the limestone country. They heavily browse native plants which threatens forest health and prevents regeneration. Over time, goats change the composition of the forest as they eat the seedlings of their favourite species.
“DOC cannot manage their numbers alone and we encourage as many hunters as possible to get involved in the National Wild Goat Hunting Competition, which runs until November 26.
“Bring your tails along to the event to enter the competition. NZDA’s Shane Hall will be on site to officially measure goat heads for the NZDA greatest of all time (G.O.A.T) category.”
The National Wild Goat Hunting Competition has a variety of categories for all age groups and levels of experience. The competition aims to encourage hunters, agencies, and landowners to get involved and help reduce the damage wild goats cause to the environment.
Contact
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Email: media@doc.govt.nz
