Thread: NZDA.

go anyway.....you wont get immediate access to peoples best hunting spots...but if you keep going along and make yourself approachable and actually talk to people, it can be a great organization to be a part of.

Originally Posted by Daniel Kwon

Does anyone know what the club nights at the Wellington branch are like? Was thinking of going but I couldn't find an agenda.

They are very good. Next Tuesday is the AGM. The meetings are every second Tuesday of the month but there is no meeting in April because of the roar. Generally there are great speakers and a fairly full house.
If you come to the next meeting (or any meeting) introduce yourself to me. Bruce - grey haired old bugger.

Its worth going to the Wellington meetings just to see the heads on display in the new National HQ, who share the building with the branch.

The branch has several hunting trips coming up which you could join - Orongaronga, Tararuas, Longview in the Ruahines, Fallow at Whanganui.

Thanks Bruce I appreciate it.

Greetings All,
I am a member of both Hastings (Superanuant) and Taupo (Associate) NZDA. I live just out of Hastings but joined Taupo as an Affilliate after the Roys Hill Range closed in the late 1990's. I think I joined Hastings NZDA in th 1970's sometime. With any club you get out what you put in and membership of many NZDA branches seems to be up currently. Branches that have their own or access to a rifle range seem to be doing best.NZDA membership is something that every hunter should consider. NZDA does have a voice and is invloved in Government policy based on membership. Perhaps not as much as we would like but someone just moaning on a Forum like this has no voice at all. Don't get me wrong I think this Forum is great and I have picked up all sorts of interesting things by reading it and will continue posting about my handloading fumblings but if you want input at a national level join a club, preferably NZDA.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
I am a member of both Hastings (Superanuant) and Taupo (Associate) NZDA. I live just out of Hastings but joined Taupo as an Affilliate after the Roys Hill Range closed in the late 1990's. I think I joined Hastings NZDA in th 1970's sometime. With any club you get out what you put in and membership of many NZDA branches seems to be up currently. Branches that have their own or access to a rifle range seem to be doing best.NZDA membership is something that every hunter should consider. NZDA does have a voice and is invloved in Government policy based on membership. Perhaps not as much as we would like but someone just moaning on a Forum like this has no voice at all. Don't get me wrong I think this Forum is great and I have picked up all sorts of interesting things by reading it and will continue posting about my handloading fumblings but if you want input at a national level join a club, preferably NZDA.
Regards Grandpamac.

Good. I received a 50 year membership badge at our recent agm. You must be close to that?

Originally Posted by Tahr

Good. I received a 50 year membership badge at our recent agm. You must be close to that?

It must be getting close to 50 years. The first club shoot I have a record of me at is 1981 and I know I did not get started on target shooting for a few years after joining. I was never better than average as a target shooter but in our club average got the occasional placing. We mostly shot the deer targets then and I remember shooting standing snap where the target was exposed for 5 seconds. This was on the Roys Hill Range where there was a markers gallery and mounds back to 1000 yards. It was a great loss when it closed.
Regards Grandpamac.

Joined NZDA palmerston north this week, saw you get a 10 percent discount at central mowers. Wonder what their like supposed to stilh? Anyone here a member in Palmy?

Thanks for recommending Hunts course. I feel obligated to share my experience in the Hunts course conducted by NZDA.

The Hunts course was extremely thorough and practical. It basically set me up with the right skillset and mindset to hunt in a safe and ethical manners. The experiences I learned from the course can never be taught in YouTubes, forums and socials.

The instructors are professional with decades of hunting experience. They are volunteers, not paid but fully committed with a mission to propagate the sports and impart the right values and ethics to novice hunters like me.

I was thankful not heading into the bush before attending and completing the Hunts course. There are so many misconceptions and myths out there that will get novice hunters like me into trouble. From firearm handling, packing the right gears, navigation, legal aspects, bush crafts, survival skills, field dressing, hunting ethics, and many other knowledge and skills that are needed to competently hunt in the bush.

The course comprises of 7 classroom theory lessons and 2 weekends practical trainings. River crossing, sighting rifles, the final hunt and field dressing are included in the practical training.

I am not paid or rewarded in any manner to write this. Personally, I have benefited tremendously from the NZDA Hunts Course. The quality of the course and the time and effort committed by the instructors do not justify the course fee. It is a steal. Besides, I get to know many great course mates who may potentially become my hunting mates. The instructors even offer mentorship for those who completed the course. We don't stop learning, it is a continuous journey as long as we are breathing.

Thankful to the Hunts instructors, and grateful to their sacrifice and efforts to impart their knowledge and skills to the course trainees. If you are keen to head into the bush, I strongly recommend attending the Hunts course. Thanks for reading this far.

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+1 for the feedback on the Hunts course. I had a similar experience and it was well worth the time. Guys who ran it were amazing, you can tell they’re passionate about keeping the sport alive. Highlight for me was learning to get better at bush stalking by actually going bush stalking with a couple of the instructors. So lucky to get the opportunity to learn from guys who know what they’re doing. Made me realise how much I needed to improve.

And speaking of the NZDA, I only know my local branch but I’ve had nothing but positive experiences there. Right from the first time I turned up I was made to feel very welcome and there’s a good cross section of people.