Horowhenua Hunting Club beat rivals for shooting trophy

Members of the Horowhenua Hunting Club take aim in this year's K. Aanensen Trophy competition against Kapiti branch of the NZ Deer Stalkers Association.

Fifty years of shooting rivalry between Horowhenua Hunting Club and the Kapiti branch of the NZ Deer Stalkers Association was marked at the weekend with the two teams competing for the K. Aanensen Trophy.

Hosting the annual competition this year was Horowhenua which had the added triumph of taking home the trophy, won by Kapiti for the past couple of years.

During the morning, the two teams of selected club members competed using centrefire (high powered) rifles fired over 100 metres, firing five rounds from the prone, sitting, kneeling and finally off hand positions.

Rifles were swapped for Rimfire (.22) in the afternoon, increasing to 10 firing rounds per position over 50 metres.

After 660 rounds, the combined scores for each club team were divided by the number of competitors - Horowhenua had six competitors to Kapiti's five - to gain the average team score with Horowhenua winning by a combined average of just four points.

Horowhenua Hunting Club range convenor Mark Goss, also competing, said while the competition is light-hearted it is still fiercely competed.

"The history of the trophy shows it's been won alternately for several years by each club.

The last couple of years the trophy had been retained by Kapiti so it was due for a change of hands."

Goss said both teams have included women during the history of the competition and the Horowhenua Hunting Club was always looking for new members.

Both clubs promote the safe use of firearms and ethical hunting of New Zealand's big game animals.

Horowhenua Hunting Club meets the first Monday of each month beside the Scout Hall, Parker Ave, Levin, 7.30pm.

For more information email horohuntingclub@gmail.com