KEEN hunter Melissa Jackson is involved in hunting advocacy, including by serving as secretary of the Central King Country branch of the NZ Deer Stalkers Association. Photo supplied
King Country hunters are hoping the annual red deer roar – starting from about mid-March and running into April – will bring plenty of stags and hinds across their rifle sights.
Taumarunui resident Melissa Jackson, the secretary of the Central King Country Branch of the New Zealand Deer Stalkers Association, said there seemed to good sustainable levels of deer on public land in the Department of Conservation Estate.
“I’ve personally observed good – and in my view sustainable – numbers of hinds with fauns at foot, so I can imagine that we may have a great roar this year,” Melissa said.
Tongariro and Pureora Forests were always popular among hunters, while Erua, just out of National Park, provided flat country which was good for older hunters, she said.
“We’d encourage people to get out into the hills, enjoy their hunting and practice firearms safety.”
Melissa, who is also a councillor on the New Zealand Game Animal Council, said a high level of gun safety already existed in the King Country. Many responsible licenced firearms owners lived in the region, and they had often grown up learning the rules around gun safety.
“Many of us live and breathe hunting in this part of the country.”
However, it was still well worth refreshing your knowledge.
She recommends checking out the Game Animal Game Council’s free online hunting programme, https://nzgameanimalcouncil.org.nz/education
This has plenty of useful information about hunting in general, plus on specialist topics such as navigation.
Melissa works for Taumarunui based Te Awanui a Rua Charitable Trust which teaches the basics of hunting, instilling values in people.
“With high levels of deprivation in our district it is a very positive thing to help people get out there and provide food for their families. Hunting is a way of life here – and for many a necessity.”
Meanwhile, the Mountain Safety Council has been urging hunters to look at their fitness to help them to avoid injuries in the bush.
The number of severe hunting injuries that could result in about two-and-half-months off work, doubled during March and April’s roar period, compared to other months, chief executive Mike Daisley said.
Forty percent of severe hunting injuries were to the knee or shoulder over the past 10 years, which resulted in 76 days of missed employment.
Most roar hunting-related injuries were caused by slips, trips and falls and nearly all are preventable with enough fitness training and preparation.
“Every hunt is unique, so fitness requirements depend on many factors such as a hunter’s goal, their hunting location and land access, and group size,” Mike said.
“The fitter you are, the more enjoyable, and safe, your hunt will be and the less likely you’ll be to sustain an injury.”
