The competition has been running for more than 30 years and is open to all hunters with a valid permit for Pureora Forest Park.
The 2026 competition ran from 14 March - 26 April.
2026 prizegiving
The prizegiving was held at Pureora DOC field base in Pureora on Sunday 26 April 2026.
Entries received:
- 47 heads
- 42 deer jaws
- 3 rats
- 22 goat tails
The prize category winners are listed below along with the prizes donated by our generous sponsors.
Deer categories, winners and score
Top Douglas score head: Elle Lamont – 2943/4
2nd Douglas score head: Alex Rye – 2936
3rd Douglas score head: Glenn Mulgrew – 2866
4th Douglas score head: Alex Rye – 282
5th Douglas score head: Alex Rye – 2743/4
Jaw draw: Taylor Allen
Ugliest head: Mike Ferrier
Junior categories, winners and score
Top Douglas score head junior: Lucy Waghorn – 2492
Mustelid draw (ferret, stoat, weasel): No entries
Goat tail draw: McKenna Kearins – 22
Rat draw: McKenna Kearins – 3
Two plus pest prize draw: No entries
Roar categories and winners
Senior (16 years +): Mike Mason
Junior (15 years and younger): Beau Mulgrew
Spot prizes were also awarded to people who attended the prizegiving.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to all the hunters, measurers, sponsors, and other volunteers who contributed to a successful 2026 Pureora Hunting Competition.
Thanks to the NZ Deerstalkers Association for providing their time and expertise to measure the entries and to Simon Hickton for being MC for the prizegiving event.
Organisations/businesses that donated prizes
- AC Petfoods
- Appliance Plus
- Aurora Hair and Beauty
- Back Country Cuisine
- Bruce Dunn Motors
- Bivouac Hamilton
- Farmlands
- Farm Source
- Flatmates sign and co.
- Hunting and Fishing Te Rapa/Hamilton
- Inframax
- JRK Contracting
- Kilwell Sports
- Mangakino Homekill
- Midwest Helicopters NZ
- Mindful Massage
- Mitre10 Te Kuiti
- Rod and Rifle NZ
- Trek N Travel Hamilton
- Wright Fishing and Outdoors
Recording centres and partners
- DOC Waikato
- Otorohonda/King Country Honda
- DOC Pureora
- Seriously Outdoors
- Taupō Fly & Gun/ Hunting and Fishing
- DOC Rotorua
- Hamills Taupō
- Te Awamutu and Waikato branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association
- Benneydale School – for manning the BBQ/providing food on the day
Contact
For further information email our Te Kuiti office at tekuiti@doc.govt.nz