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Hello and welcome to our website
My name is Bill Davis and I am the current President of the North Canterbury
Branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association for 09/10.
I started big game hunting almost 20 years ago and have been an NZDA member for
about the last 7 years. In the first few years of my hunting I learned through a
combination of talking to my then father in law George McKenzie, reading books
and wandering the bush and river flats. For the most part I saw either nothing
at all or rapidly departing deer. At this time I was pig hunting with dogs
almost every weekend with my own dogs and a great crew of guys but I was always
looking back at the mountains where I knew big stags and chamois abound. After
shooting my first deer a hind, I quickly moved to a stag then it all fell into
place, the pig hunting fell by the wayside and I spent every available moment
stalking deer and chamois. I am passionate about the craft of hunting, you know,
all the stuff that comes before you pull the trigger and with some useful skills
in my metaphorical day-bag I now find it is time to pass on some of these hard
won skills. That's where NZDA North Canterbury came onto the scene.
After attending few monthly meetings I joined the NZDA so I could get involved
in the engine room of the branch and before long became involved at committee
and sub-committee level becoming branch newsletter editor in the process. This
is another place within the branch where you met great people with a shared
vision and passion for the sport and have enjoyed the debates and challenges the
branch executive brings.
"What is it that the Branch can offer me as a prospective member?" you ask.
Well, to me the answer is that the sport of hunting has a lot more to offer than
just locating and harvesting game animals. The NZDA can help you get more out of
your hunting and love of the outdoors. Don't forget you only get out what you
are prepared to put in so it helps to get involved in all aspects of the branch
and then you will definitely get more than you expect.
Branch Meetings are presently held on the last Monday of each month at 7:30 pm
at the Cashmere Club. I say presently because we are in the process of building
our modern new clubrooms. Typically a meeting starts off with general business
after which we take a break for a cup of tea and social time. The second part of
the meeting is dedicated to entertainment, which varies meeting to meeting. We
frequently have guest speakers, demonstrations of field game dressing
techniques, review and demonstration of hunting equipment, hunting videos, our
annual club auction night, and so on.
The branch runs regular hunting trips for our members. These trips are an
excellent way to get to know other members and maybe see some new country that
you haven't been into before. Trips are graded depending on the season and
difficulty of the country. So there are trips to suit, whether you're just
starting out or you're an experienced hunter.
In addition to our hunting trips, the Branch runs a HUNTS (Hunter National
Training Scheme) course annually. This course is a nationally recognised NZQA
accredited program where prospective hunters gain the skills they need to be
responsible, safe, successful hunters. It covers topics like: ethics and
ecology, equipment and food, travel and navigation, game species, firearm safety
and marksmanship, hunting techniques, survival, first aid, river crossing etc
and finishes with a hunting trip hunting tahr in the Rangitata.
Photography is another dimension that adds to the enjoyment of the hunting
experience. Our branch runs annual photography competitions in a number of
categories, including: big game animals, scenic, abstract and special effects,
other wildlife and flora and fauna.
If you're into trophy hunting, we have an annual antler, horn and tusk
competition. You can also enter the any of the categories of the National NZDA
competitions through affiliation to the Branch.
The club has an excellent rifle range at McLeans Island. This range has covered
shooting stations (handy when it rains!) and three ranges at 50, 100 and 200
metres respectively. We hold regular public open days, club days and shooting
competitions.
Palmer Lodge is the clubs hunting 'home away from home', located in the Lewis
pass at the Nina Valley. The lodge is an excellent base for hunting all of the
Lewis Pass area, including the Maruia/Rahu Saddle area.
Members receive a monthly newsletter and quarterly "New Zealand Hunting and
Wildlife" magazine.
In addition to all the benefits the local branch can offer, membership of the
NZDA gives hunters a united voice to lobby regarding issues that challenge the
future of our sport. Two examples of such issues are: firearms ownership and use
by responsible law abiding citizens, and the poisoning of our public lands and
valuable game animals by the use of aerial distributed1080 as well as the threat
to our game herds and tranquility from heli-hunting and commercial harvesting. I
am a strong advocate of the NZDA and believe that it's essential to preserve and
enhance the hunting opportunities that we have for future generations and we are
incredibly privileged to live in a country that offers the outdoor hunting
experience we enjoy.
Membership to NZDA also provides $10,000,000 public liability insurance cover,
including $1,000,000 cover for the Rural Fires Act.
So there's a brief look at some of the benefits of being an NZDA North
Canterbury Branch member. I hope you enjoy browsing our website and encourage
you to come along to one of our Branch meetings and introduce yourself.
Bill |
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