Date:  29 April 2026

The 6-week event was run by the Department of Conservation's Maniapoto team, with support from the NZ Deerstalkers Association (NZDA), and has been a fixture for local hunters for more than 30 years.

Running from 14 March to 26 April, the competition was open to any permitted hunter who took a wild deer from Pureora Forest Park during this period.

DOC Waitomo Principal Ranger Ray Scrimgeour says the competition had a strong field of 27 entrants in the deer category – including five juniors (15 years old or younger).

"Elle Lamont took out the top Douglas Score head with a 12-pointer that scored 294 ¾ - the highest score out of the 47 heads entered.

"In the junior deer category, Lucy Waghorn came out on top with a Douglas Score of 249 ½.

"It's great to see women doing well once again, after winning the deer competition in 2024 and 2019. We're seeing more and more women getting into hunting and it's great this is reflected in the competition results."

Ray says the event is a great reason for people to get out naturing in some amazing native bush and also contributes to wild deer management in Pureora Forest.

"A big thanks to everyone involved in the competition this year – not just the hunters who entered, but also those who helped out with measuring or at the recording centres or the prizegiving event, and to all of the sponsors.

"While most of the entrants were locals, we had people from as far afield as Auckland and Tauranga also get involved, which was fantastic to see.

"This is a real community event and relies on volunteers helping out, their time and effort is hugely appreciated."

The fact the competition focusses on Pureora and is run by DOC makes it unique. DOC also runs the National Goat Hunting Competition, which has a broader nationwide focus and launched in 2023.

More info and the results are available here: Pureora Hunting Competition: Waikato Region

Background information

Pureora Forest Park is between Te Kuiti, Taumarunui and Lake Taupo. As well as being a popular spot for hunting, the park offers great hiking, camping, mountain biking and bird watching, and is an important native ecosystem home to a range of native trees and plants, birds and bats.

The Douglas Score system is a way of measuring and evaluating antlers based on symmetry, length and mass to come up with an overall 'score'; and is commonly used in hunting competitions in New Zealand.

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