Southern Lakes Branch NZDA

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Southern Lakes Branch NZDA

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Local NZ Deerstalkers branch that covers Queenstown, Cromwell, Kingston, Glenorchy

Private chat group for members only to discuss hunting and items for sale, Request access on this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/SLNZDAmembers More info on the website www.southernlakesnzda.org.nz
We meet the last Thursday of the month at the Arrowtown Bowling Club at 7pm, Non members welcome

Harvest Survey Link:- https://forms.gle/xUEhKsaSU5NyJ6XPA

11/07/2025

Test Your Skills at the Chaz Forsyth Memorial Hunter Match – 3rd August!

If you’re keen for a challenge that mimics real-life hunting conditions, this is one to check out.

SSANZ is running the Chaz Forsyth Memorial Hunter Match on the 3rd of August at Sparrowhawk Range, near Fairlie. The match honours Dr. Chaz Forsyth’s dedication to hunter education and our shooting community.

About the Match:

20 steel targets hidden in natural terrain

Ranges from 125m to 700m

Only one shot per target – accuracy and wind reading count!

Max 20 rounds needed

3km circuit, so pack light and be ready for a field adventure

Venison on the spit for a feed afterward!

Details:
📍 Sparrowhawk Range, 398 Blainslie Road, Fairlie (4WD recommended)
🗓 Match Date: 3rd August 2025
🕗 Entries open online from 8:30am, 30th June 2025
💲 General Public Entry: $81
💲 SSANZ Members/TSSP Non-Student: $61
💲 TSSP Current Student Camp + Match: $25

Register here: Practiscore link

This is a great way to sharpen your skills, learn, and honour Chaz’s legacy. Spectators and supervised shooters are welcome too. Let’s help spread the word and make it a great day!

24/06/2025

Join us Thursday, 26 June at the Arrowtown Bowling Club for a night of fast-paced hunting stories from NZ and beyond.

Join us Wednesday 26 June at the Arrowtown Bowling Club for a night of fast-paced hunting stories from NZ and beyond.

🦌 Stewart Island whitetail
🦁 African safari
🐐 High country tahr missions

We’ve got three members sharing quickfire tales from recent hunts — no fluff, just good yarns and solid inspiration.

📍 Arrowtown Bowling Club
🕡 Drinks from 6:30 PM
🎤 Talks kick off at 7:30 PM

Whether you’ve been getting out or just dreaming of the next mission, come along for a catch-up, a beer, and a few bloody good stories.

All welcome — bring a mate!

07/06/2025

Check out this prize haul for our Winter Shooting Competition this Sunday 8th of June.

We’ve just picked up a stack of prizes from Hunting & Fishing Queenstown torches, gear, gift cards, and more.

We’ve got prizes lined up for Open, Women’s, and Junior competitors, as well as loads of spot prizes!

Plus, Swazi have thrown in some awesome gear just for our junior members.

If you needed an excuse to join us at the Winter Shooting Competition, this is it. Come for the shooting, stay for the prizes (and the BBQ, and the yarns).

📅 Range opens 10am — Competition kicks off 10.45am
🎯 Events: New Zealand Deerstalkers Association Inc JM Wilkinson, Hawkes Bay Challenge, Taupō Interbranch Trophy
🔥 BYO lunch for the BBQ
🎁 Spot prizes and category prizes up for grabs

Get registered and get amongst it — see you on the range!

02/06/2025

Why don't you ever hunt a cardboard deer twice? Because once you've bagged one, you realise the whole experience is pretty flat!

Registration is just $25 for NZDA memberspetition on June 8th features plenty of cardboard deer targets, so you can bag as many as you like!

Join us at Fairlight Range for a day of friendly competition using classic deer silhouette targets.

Loads of prizes https://southernlakesnzda.org.nz/event-6167798

Registration just $25 for NZDA members

31/05/2025

Just finished organizing all the details and I'm genuinely excited about this one. We've

got some fantastic prizes lined up from Hunting & Fishing, plus special goodies from Swazi for the juniors.
What I love about this comp is how welcoming it is - whether you're a crack shot or still working on your groupings, there's a place for you! 😄

We're running the classic JM Wilkinson Cup and Hawkes Bay Challenge, plus that fast-paced Taupō Interbranch format that always gets the adrenaline pumping. From prone shots to standing (gulp!), it's proper hunting-style shooting.

The plan:
Sunday 8th of June
📅 Range opens 10am for sighting in
🎯 Competition kicks off 10:45am
🍖 BYO BBQ at 1pm (we've got the barbie sorted!)

Cost: $25 for members, kids under 16 shoot free

Honestly, some of my best shooting memories are from days like this - the friendly rivalry, the "how did you miss THAT?!" banter, and celebrating everyone's improvements. Plus there's something pretty special about being part of a 70+ year NZDA tradition.

Don't have the right rifle? No worries - a few of us can probably sort you out.

Honestly, some of my best shooting memories are from days like this - the friendly rivalry, the "How did you miss THAT?!" banter, and celebrating everyone's improvements. Plus, there's something pretty special about being part of a 70+ year NZDA tradition.

Who's keen? Tag someone who needs to dust off their shooting skills!

29/05/2025

Twizel Fishing Trip Wrap-Up

What a weekend!

Over 20 keen fishos hit the canals for a cracking few days of fishing, laughter, and plenty of yarns. From sun-up to well after dark, lines were in the water and spirits were high.

While the trout were playing hard to get, one solid salmon was landed by John, earning him bragging rights for the trip!

A massive thank you to Nathan for pulling it all together, you made it easy for everyone to just show up and enjoy it.

Great to see families, new faces, and club regulars all getting amongst it. Here’s to making it an annual tradition!

25/05/2025

Pot Luck Dinner + Prizes + Trophies – This Thursday!

Join us for one of the biggest nights on the club calendar. An evening of great food, good company, and a bit of healthy competition.

Evening Schedule
6:00 PM – Kitchen Opens
Drop off your dish and get set for the night.

6:30 PM – Pot Luck Dinner & Drinks
Bring a plate to share; wild game, finger food, dessert—whatever you’ve got, we’ll make room for it.
The bar will be open and it’s the perfect time for a catch-up with fellow members.

7:30 PM – AGM & Club Meeting
Vote in the new committee, hear important club updates, and get involved in what’s coming up next.

➡️ An important part of the AGM is the election of the club’s leadership team: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and up to 8 general committee members.
If you’d like to put your hand up or nominate someone else, please email your nomination to [email protected] before the meeting.

8:00 PM – Trophy Awards
Bring along your antlers, tusks, or horns to enter the trophy competition.
If you need official measurements, please contact Katie or Aaron at [email protected] in advance—time on the night is limited.

8:30 PM – Spot Prizes Drawn
Sign the attendance book when you arrive and you’ll be in the draw. Must be present to win!

22/05/2025

Got a good head? Get it scored! 🦌
Planning to enter the trophy comp at our May Club Meeting? Make sure your antlers, tusks, or horns are scored before the night. No scoring on the night!

📞 Call Aaron Shaw on 021 813 760 to book it in.
🧼 Clean heads only, please.

Winners will be announced at the meeting — Thursday 29 May at the Arrowtown Bowling Club. Don’t miss out on a bit of bragging rights and a great night with the crew.

17/05/2025

We are thrilled to be a recipient of the 2025 Queenstown Airport Community Fund of $5000 which will go towards our "Vension to Mince" donation program we are looking to expand on. We have been trailing small scale processes with a private sponsor for the last year or so and this fund will allow us to do more and run a bigger operation.
Hunted meat will be minced, labeled and packaged then donated to KiwiHarvest who will in turn distribute it across the districts charities and organisations needing food bank support.

More information coming soon on our website https://www.southernlakesnzda.org.nz/Venison

16/05/2025

Keen to learn how to make your own sausages?

We’re running two hands-on sausage-making workshops with club legend Phil Galbraith, and you’re invited!

Phil will take you through the whole process—prepping your meat, mixing the flavours, filling the casings, and sending you home with a batch of your own wild game sausages.

📅 Pick one night:
🔸 Tuesday 10th June
🔸 Tuesday 17th June
Same workshop both nights—just choose one!

🔪 What to bring:

2kg of shoulder or shin (untrimmed)

Mixing bowl

Knife

Chopping board

Container to take your sausages home

Spaces are limited to keep it hands-on and practical, so get in quick!

👉 Sign up here:
Tuesday 10th - https://southernlakesnzda.org.nz/event-6184758
Tuesday 17th - https://southernlakesnzda.org.nz/event-6189714

15/05/2025

Pot Luck, Prizes, AGM & Trophies – It’s All Happening!

This is one of the big nights of the year!

📅 Thursday, 29th May
📍 Arrowtown Bowling Club

We’re kicking things off with a good old-fashioned pot luck dinner from 6:30pm. Bring a plate to share—wild game, something sweet, or whatever’s easy we’ll make room for it. The bar will be open, and it’s always a great time to catch up with everyone before the formal stuff starts.

At 7:30pm, we roll into the AGM and club meeting. This is your chance to vote in the new committee and help shape where the club’s heading. Keen to get involved or want to nominate someone? Flick us a message at [email protected].

Then at 8:00pm, it’s trophy time! Bring your antlers, tusks or horns along for the comp—just make sure they’re clean and scored ahead of time. Give Aaron Shaw a call on 021 813 760.

And don’t forget—spot prizes are up for grabs too. If you’ve been signing the book at meetings this year, you’re already in the draw. Just gotta be there on the night to win.

New to the club? Come down a bit early for a drink and a chat—we're always stoked to see new faces.

See you there! Bring a plate, bring your trophies, and bring a mate.

12/05/2025

Congratulations to our friends at The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation

Wapiti Herd of Special Interest process begins!

Finally, the Fiordland Wapiti herd is on the path to having another layer of protection.

Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager will consider formally designating a wapiti deer Herd of Special Interest (HOSI) in Fiordland National Park, which could cover more than 190,000 hectares.

To support the wapiti HOSI, the Government will also introduce a bill to parliament to clarify the designation if a HOSI in national parks, through a small amendment bill to the Game Animal Act 2013. The bill will clarify that HOSI can be established in national parks as was originally intended and clarify the existing legislation.

"This has been a 20-year battle to reach this stage," says Fiordland Wapiti Foundation General Manager Roy Sloan we are excited to work with Mr Meager to ensure this gets across the line.

The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation has pioneered modern hunting practices in New Zealand by advocating that deer management should prioritise conservation outcomes first, with hunting resources as a secondary consideration. Remarkably, there is a synergy between these two goals, which is only beginning to be fully understood, says Roy.

The Wapiti Foundation has been frustrated with the Game Animal Council Act and Herds of Special Interest, as we have managed the Wapiti herd as a de facto Herd of Special Interest for 20 years. We have long established and maintained the standard for deer management in New Zealand, all without incurring any expense to the taxpayer.

To have a government finally see common sense and be brave enough to support the Wapiti proposal for a Herd of Special Interest is truly refreshing. I am not sure if this is excitement or relief for our team, as they have put a lot of effort into making this happen. See less

Address

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 21:30
Tuesday	08:00 - 21:30
Wednesday	08:00 - 21:30
Thursday	08:00 - 21:30
Friday	08:00 - 21:30
Saturday	08:00 - 21:30
Sunday	08:00 - 21:30

Telephone

021-942-328

Website

http://southernlakesnzda.org.nz/

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