Southland NZDA

08/04/2026

📢Water users - take care on the Lower Waiau River from 1pm Thursday📢

We're releasing a flushing flow from the Manapōuri Lake Control Structure to the Lower Waiau River on Thursday and Friday this week, starting around 1pm Thursday 9 April.

It’s part of Meridian’s consent conditions to assist in managing nuisance algae (periphyton) in the Lower Waiau River. The release is expected to reach a peak of around 150 cumecs before reducing back to minimum flows around 7pm Friday. The rate of increase and decrease of flows during this period will be capped at 20 cumecs per hour.

We encourage everyone using the river to take extra care during this time. We also remind river users that it will take time after the flows have been reduced for the river to come back to normal.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou - thank you!

23/03/2026

As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational fi****ms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.

Te Tari Pureke - Fi****ms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Fi****ms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Fi****ms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.

Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.

“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.

“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”

Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest fi****ms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.

The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”

Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:

- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?

- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?

- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?

“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.

Read the full release here: www.police.govt.nz/news/release/roar-if-you-are-not-sure-then-don%E2%80%99t-shoot

19/03/2026

What a great night for a Meeting! Many thanks to Jase for organising the BBQ. We also held a roaring comp with the lucky winners going home with some Stag Whisperer roaring horns and merch! If you haven’t already go and check them out.

16/03/2026

11/03/2026

Southland NZDA recently held a “kids Hunt” weekend. It was a great weekend away with several first deer for some of the kids. 13 deer were taken for the weekend.
Many thanks to Whitecomb Range and Fernvale Genetics for the access and use of facilities to make the weekend possible!

02/03/2026

Deerstalkers open day at the Invercargill Rifle Club this sunday 8th march! get along and make sure you’re on target for the roar! 🦌 🎯

10/02/2026

29/01/2026

An absolute thumper of a stag taken by member Andrew Forde. It was great to have the opportunity to run the tape measures over an animal of this calibre. Congratulations Andrew! Shaun Mckelvie Wayne Ashmore Luke Payne Andy Nesbit

17/01/2026

23/12/2025

Registrations are now open for the early 2026 HUNTS Course, designed to introduce new hunters to the skills needed to hunt safely and ethically.

The course covers fi****ms safety, navigation, backcountry travel, hunting techniques, big game animals, meat care, and outdoor survival skills. Training is delivered through a mix of classroom sessions and practical learning, finishing with a final hunting trip weekend.

Course dates:
Runs over weekends and Wednesday evenings, starting Saturday 14 February (9am–3pm) and concluding with the final hunting trip on 7–8 March.

Cost: $300 per person (NZDA membership not included).

Register here: https://forms.gle/BPUj9bnUzLW2uhNZ8

View the full course schedule: https://portal.deerstalkers.org.nz/~jJsE4

11/12/2025

NZDA Rat Control Project, Mason Bay, Stewart Island 2025
Back in 2006 Brent Bevan was DOC biodiversity on Stewart Island. He approached Southland NZDA for volunteer support for a rat control program at Mason Bay. DOC cut 14 kms of tracks and marked the location of 309 rat traps. Deerstalkers then installed the traps and began what has been a 20-year commitment to give the native birds in the area the best chance to fledge by reducing rat numbers. We send six teams of three, mainly Southland Branch members but supported by some other southern branch members, to Homestead block between August to December each year.
Volunteers to clean, clear and rebait the traps at the beginning and again at the end of each trip. Old school, we are still using Victor snap traps which are protected from the weather by coreflute covers. After a few years we began trapping feral cats with both kill and cage traps. 2025 saw one of lowest number of rats killed at 156 and only two wild cats were killed. Cats are pretty cunning, and we normally average 4 each year. Over the 20 years we have trapped over 6367 rats. Usually, 3 - 4 days of each trip are spent working the traps, the rest of the time is free to explore or hunt. This year most volunteers shot a deer and some got their first whitetail.
For the past nine years we have had generous sponsorship from Hunting and Fishing New Zealand, Invercargill store for assistance towards our biggest cost which is return flights to Mason Bay. We are really appreciate their support.

11/12/2025

Time to stand up and be counted people.

Dear , The Arms Bill is now open for submissions and you have until 11.59pm, Monday, 16 February 2026 to have your say on the firearm laws that determine the future of every licensed firearm owner. Now I hear this constantly: "Why should I bother submitting? It never makes a difference." After the 2...