NZDA branch entries winners

These winners will be contacted directly by their local branch.

Read about Douglas Score Trophy scoring.

Founding sponsor Hunting & Fishing.

Major sponsors Huntech, Nocpix. 

Supporting sponsors Traeger Grills, Backcountry Cuisine, NZ Hunter, Te Tari Pūreke Firearms Safety Authority, Bushnell, New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association.

1. The competition is open to all hunters.
2. All goat tails and goat heads entered must be wild and taken legally, recreationally, and humanely between 1 August to 26 November 2024. If using firearms, hunters must have a current firearms license or be supervised by a current and appropriate firearms license holder. Hunters must comply with sections 30A (Wilful or reckless ill-treatment of wild animals or wild animals in wild state) and and 30B (Hunting or killing) of the Animal Welfare Act 1999.
3. The competition may occur anywhere you have permission to hunt either through landowner consent or the local authority of the land, if forestry or farms, or by permit for public conservation land or council land.  
4. All land access conditions must be followed, whether under permit or through landowner consent. 
5. Wild goat heads can only be taken to an approved New Zealand Deerstalker Association entry point.
6. All wild goat tails and heads must be presented fresh or frozen in a clean manner. Tails need to be secured in a bag and if frozen, tails need to be in a free flow state, so they can be easily counted.
7. All wild goat tails will be counted by an approved verifier.
8. All wild goat tails and goat heads entered at an official recording point will be eligible for the national prize draw. Noting all tails and heads are only eligible to be entered once in the competition.
9. In the event that a wild goat is killed, but cannot be retrieved by a competitor, the competitor may take a time and date stamped photo with the dead wild goat in view to an official recording point for review. It is at the Judge’s discretion whether to accept the photo as proof of a tail entry.
10. All wild goat head measurements will be based on the Douglas Scoring System and will be carried out by an approved New Zealand Deerstalker Association judge. Judge’s decision is final.
11. Any goat tail and/or head taken in a paid or commercial capacity is not eligible as an entry into the national or any local competition. 
12. No responsibility can be accepted for any entries lost, delayed or corrupted as a result of computer error.
13. The organisers reserve the right to refuse any wild goat tail or head, should they doubt its eligibility. Honesty that the wild goat tail or head are taken in accordance with all the competition rules is appreciated. 
14. By entering into the competition, you agree to the collection and use of any personal information and data supplied for the purposes of contacting and publicly announcing prizewinners, and to measure the success of the competition. 
15. All hunters must comply with the 7 rules of firearms safety.

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. 

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 these 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.