2024 May intake is FULL

The course will start in May and run through to August with weekly evening sessions and several week ends.

Due to high demand registrations for the 2024 are now closed. We will accept further interest and will notify those registered if there is an opportunity for a second course later in 2024.

If you would like to register your interest contact us HERE

Hunter Training

HUNTS was first launched in 1987 and has seen thousands of hunters gain the skills needed to hunt safely and responsibly in New Zealand.

Learn about hunting and the outdoors with an instructor who has a proven level of competence through a national training and assessment package. Your instructor will pass on their experience and knowledge in hunting following the hunting guidelines of NZDA and Fish and Game NZ. For more information see the syllabus.

The New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association (NZDA) promotes hunting as a lifetime outdoor activity through the Hunter National Training Scheme (HUNTS). The HUNTS training programme is conducted at branch level under the guidance of a national coordinator and is proudly sponsored by Stoney Creek.

Further information:

Learn To Hunt Flyer
Learn To Hunt Syllabus

Course Content

The HUNTS programme syllabus covers the knowledge and skills to operate safely as a hunter in the New Zealand outdoors and teaches the ethics of fair chase and the principles of managing a sustainable game resource.

The course is delivered over 16 hours of theory and 4 field days including at least 1 overnight camping trip.

Core Modules:

  • Equipment and clothing
  • Bush travel and navigation
  • River safety
  • Game animal species and hunting techniques
  • Firearms safety in a hunting context
  • Care for meat and trophy
  • Preparing for when ‘things go wrong’
  • Range shooting and setting up a hunting firearm

HUNTS is a national New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association program. It is managed by a national coordinator and delivered at Branch level throughout New Zealand with sponsorship from Stoney Creek and Absolute Wilderness. In Nelson the program is delivered in association with Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game and supported by a local sponsor, Meat Solutions.