Competition details

Date: 1 August – 26 November. 

Entries closed at midnight on 26 November 2025.

National categories and prizes

Hunting & Fishing NZ's local legends categories and prizes

These winners will be contacted directly by their local NZDA branch.

Read about Douglas Score Trophy scoring

Wild goats on your land

Be into win over $3,200 worth of prizes from Bushnell and Hunting & Fishing NZ Ltd. by registering your interest for your land to be hunted by a vetted member(s) of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA).

This “Goat Free Zone’ category is only open to private landowners or designated property managers (not hunters).

NZDA members have full insurance.

This landowner and hunter agreement (PDF, 739K) will be used to give you full assurance your property will be treated with respect and you can write your own terms and conditions in. It has been developed with input from Federated Farmers, the Forestry Owners Association, and DOC.

Date: 11 June – 26 November 2025. 

How to register

Entries closed at midnight on 26 November 2025.

Health and safety

People in agriculture and farming often wonder how the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) (HSWA) applies when people access land for recreation. HSWA only applies to recreational access when the land is affected by work activities or is part of a workplace.

WorkSafe’s Policy clarification: Recreational access and the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

This means a person whose land is being accessed for recreation (including recreational hunting) is:

• only responsible for risks arising from the work or workplace, such as someone being attacked by a bull or a culvert collapsing, and is
• not responsible for the risks associated with the recreational activities.

If you have a lifestyle block or small land holding and have shooting activities (eg wild animal control) happening or you are using private land for shooting activities, there are considerations you need to take.

Learn more on Te Tari Pūreke Firearms Safety Authority website

Founding sponsor

• Hunting & Fishing

Major sponsor

• Nocpix

Supporting sponsors 

• NZ Hunter
• Te Tari Pūreke Firearms Safety Authority
• Bushnell
• Hunters Element
• Real Meals
• Missing in Aotearoa

Always follow:

• the 7 rules of firearms safety
• the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association Code of Ethics
• DOC's hunter safety information
• follow the Outdoor Access Code

Hunters must follow the Firearms Safety Code

More information on firearms safety can be found at the NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) website

All wild goats must be taken legally and humanely.

It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 to wilfully or recklessly ill-treat a wild animal or an animal in a wild state.

Talk to your local NZDA branch or local DOC office about hunting in your local area. 

See the map for wild goat distribution and where the goat entry points are located across New Zealand.  

Wild goat distribution map (PDF, 5,993K)

You can use the hunting block search function to find hunting areas that have wild goats on public conservation land.

Search for a hunting block that has wild goats

For more information on hunting wild goats and for some hunting tips, see wild goats or visit NZDA’s website.

Be aware of the boundaries of hunting areas – livestock may be present. Note that wild goats are often seen in places where you are not allowed to hunt like on road edges, train tracks, river, and road reserves.

Be visible, take appropriate equipment, check the weather, and let someone know where you are going. Identify your target beyond doubt, and make sure your shooting background is safe (not towards skylines). 

Be careful in steep terrain or flooded waterways, if in doubt do not retrieve the goat and take a picture instead. Don’t take any risks with steep terrain or flooded waterways to retrieve goat tails.

To find out whether land might be private, check out the outdoor access maps on Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa website

Make sure you have permission to enter, and you have a clear understanding when and where you will be hunting with the landowner or land manager. 

Follow Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa's guidelines when asking for permission to hunt on private land

Ask if it is necessary to notify neighbouring properties so they are not concerned if they hear rifle shots or see hunters. 

There is usually a reason why access is denied. Be aware of seasonal farming activities like lambing, be fire safe, take home any rubbish, consider others in the backcountry, and respect the wishes of landowners and facilities provided. 

Any restrictions around hunting dogs should be followed.

Hunters using dogs should be aware of information about hunting with dogs

Bring a first aid kit for your dog as well as yourself. 

Wild goat is a delicious and underrated meat and would be a tasty addition to your family’s table. We’ve teamed up with Cazador restaurant to share some wild goat recipe ideas that highlight the flavour and versatility of wild goat meat.

More meat than you can use

The Wild Game Recovery Trust helps hunting groups with the support, resources, and connections they need to get quality game meat into food banks. If you're interested in getting game to food banks, call Ben Moore on 0275472966.