The Game Animal Council (GAC) encourages hunters to get out there and enjoy the fantastic hunting opportunities New Zealand has to offer. However, taking the necessary precautions is absolutely critical.

The roar, rut and bugle is an exciting time of year for hunters. It’s also a time where hunters are most at risk from serious accidents, injury or worse.

On this page:

  • The 5 P’s
  • Food safety
  • Get roar fit
  • Hunter training

The 5 P’s

We recommend hunters follow the 5 P’s – Plan for the best, Prepare for the worst, Provide your intentions, Positively identify your target, Pick the right animal.

These principles can apply to any hunt at any time of the year. Please watch the video below.

Our free online hunter training platform Better Hunting can help you prepare using the 5 P’s. We have linked relevant modules to each of the 5 P steps below.

Plan for the best

  1. Plan where you are going to hunt and how long you will be out for (Better Hunting – how to hunt).
  2. Before you go, keep an eye on the weather forecast – particularly for any rain and snow that could lead to a rise in river levels – and make your plans accordingly (Better Hunting – weather forecasting).
  3. Make sure everyone has the right clothing, food and equipment for all possible conditions (Better Hunting – taking the right gear).
  4. Give your gear (including your first aid kit) a thorough check and repair/replace anything that needs it.
  5. Take into account the experience and fitness of everyone in your party when planning your trip (Better Hunting – situational awareness).
  6. Involve your whole party in the decision-making and making sure everyone is comfortable with the plans being made (Better Hunting – hunt plan and intentions tool).
  7. Be respectful of other hunting parties and other backcountry users and share the landscape appropriately (Better Hunting – backcountry).

Prepare for the worst

  1. Carry an emergency communication device such as a distress beacon or satellite phone. (Better Hunting – nav comms and technology and survival).
  2. Make sure you have a hard copy 1:50,000 topographical map (and compass) to supplement any mapping apps you may use on your phone (Better Hunting – using maps and using a compass).
  3. Respect the dynamic environment you are hunting in. Weather can change quickly, and river levels can rise fast. Be prepared to wait out a swollen river or storm system.

Provide your intentions

Leave your intentions with reliable family or friends, including:

  • Where you are going.
  • When you plan to get out.
  • Date and time to raise the alarm.

Consider the Better Hunting intentions form, which is designed to make this easy.

Positively identify your target

  1. Take firearm safety seriously, because even if you are hunting alone, it is highly likely that other hunters will be around.
  2. If you are bush hunting it is a good idea for everyone in the party to wear blaze.
  3. Treat every firearm as loaded and if you are sharing a firearm, make sure the person carrying the firearm maintains responsibility for checking it is in the appropriate state of load.
  4. Positively identify your target. It is not good enough to ‘think’ what you are looking at it is a big stag, you need to ‘know’ it is.
  5. For more on firearm safety, check out the seven rules of firearms safety.

Check out the firearms safety for hunters module on Better Hunting, designed specifically for New Zealand big game hunters.

Pick the right animal

  1. Improve future roars by leaving younger males and taking a few females.
  2. Know how to identify and target mature males.
  3. If you are meat hunting or management hunting, target females.
  4. Learn more about how you as a hunter can contribute to game animal management through our Looking After Our Game Animals resource and, if you are hunting red deer, take a look at our NZ Red Stag Ageing Guide (PDF File).

Also, check out our stag ageing games and game animal management module on Better Hunting.

Food Safety

The safety of the wild food we harvest is critical to hunters. Find out how to manage the risk from eating meat from game animals here.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has some simple guidelines for donating recreationally harvested meat. This includes key considerations for both donating and receiving wild meat. The guidelines are available here.

The GAC is working with MPI and others to provide more hunter specific information and guidance around food safety.

Mountain Safety Council

The Mountain Safety Council (MSC) has some useful online resources to help hunters have a safe and successful time in the hills. Resources include:

Hunter training

As well as our free online training programme, Better Hunting, there are several other training and safety programmes for New Zealand hunters. These include:

Learn more