Mid Canterbury Hunting Competition draws hundreds

Ashburton hunter Troy Christie (15) bagged his first deer hunting with father, Shane, out the back of Mt Somers. The 84kg red stag won Troy the title of heaviest bag in the Mid Canterbury Hunting Competition junior section recently. Photo: Toni Williams

Red stag, pigs, chamois, wallaby, tahr and fallow deer were some of the bounty collected during the 11th Mid Canterbury Hunting Competition recently.

Hunters had three days to bag and return for official weigh-in at the Hotel Ashburton car park.

On the day of weigh-in, the car park was packed with hunters dressed in camouflage and green as they returned with their bounty. More than 220 hunters, from around the South Island, registered for the event.

There were prizes for the heaviest bag in each section and some impressive weights. They included Scott McFadden's heaviest boar (75.9kg), Marcus Humm with the heaviest stag (128.4kg), Corey Geddes heaviest tahr (68.9kg), Malcolm Lowe heaviest chamois (44.9kg) and Nick Bennett with heaviest fallow deer (62.5kg).

Winners in the junior sections included Brittany Gare with heaviest fellow buck weighing 26.7kg and Troy Christie, who bagged his first deer with his father, Shane. Troy won the heaviest red stag (84kg) title.

Troy (15) was pleasantly surprised with his win. He won $50 prize money and said the stag was destined to be venison steaks.

Hunting competition organising committee member Richard Clucas said conditions over the weekend were ideal.

''We couldn't have got better weather for the hunters and the prize giving. It held out quite nicely for us,'' he said.

During the weigh-in, entertainment in the car park included adult and junior ''animal'' races. Competitors raced with a bagged pig or hare on their shoulders around a short course.

-By Toni Williams

Southern Rural Life