Something pretty big happened in Greta Valley on the 22nd of May 2016 and it simply could not have taken place without the exceptional generosity of the local businesses. Hunters from as far afield as Otorohanga in the North Island and Wanaka in the South converged on the local watering hole at Greta Valley to compete for the coveted top spots in the inaugural Great Greta Valley Hunts first competition.
We had registrations from 147 adults, 12 juniors and 49 little critters and despite rough weather over the weekend we were pleased to see a great turn out on weigh-in day. The traffic layout had been well thought of as the hunter’s wagons arrived they were giving tags for their animals so that they could have their names on them ready by the time they moved forward to get them scrutineered and weighed.
We had scales on the ground so we did not have to lift the animals up high and we even had a small digger as a backup for any overly heavy animals. The hanging racks were home made with posts driven into the ground and railway irons on top. There was no way these racks were going to fall over. We had plenty of helpers on the day which help to keep things flowing. By the time 3pm came around we had 110 animals weighed in including an impressive, prize-winning stag that was dragged out of the bush for 6 hours!!
One unlucky hunter Grant Findlay had a dog killed by a boar that he weighed in on the day. It’s always sad to hear but we do have a sport that does have an element of risk. The pig carrying competition on the day was well liked by the spectators and they had a novel idea of using a small slide where competitors had to first go under the slide with the boar on their backs then up the steps and slide down. One of their other obstacles was a picnic table which worked well. Over 70 top notch prizes were handed out to happy hunters at prize-giving, not to mention the well- stocked goody bags for our critters, and we just could not have achieved the quality or quantity of prizes without the help of our sponsors. The feedback from The Great Greta Valley Hunt has been overwhelmingly positive from participants and the community as a whole and we see a bright future for this event. We would be very humbled by your continued partnership in 2017. Not just a great event, The Great Greta Valley Hunt has also generated crucial funds for Scargill-Motunau Playgroup which is an essential source of support to rural families with young children. This funding will enable much-needed repairs on our ageing building to begin in earnest. THANK YOU!!
HEAVIEST ADULT STAG WEIGHT (lbs)
1st Sophie Wood 377
2nd James Calder 275
3rd James Poultney 272
Average Nick Eaton 227 (average = 226.5)
Best Antlers Sophie Wood
HEAVIEST ADULT BOAR WEIGHT (lbs)
1st James Sunbeam 188.5
2nd Tim McKnight 186
3rd Jock Moriarty 170
Average Shane Roberts 119.5
Best Tusks Ryan Nesbit 21 6/8
HEAVIEST ADULT FISH WEIGHT (kg)
1st Phill Jones 2.8
2nd Ian Gardner 2.1
3rd James Maxwell 1.9
Average Ian Gardner 2.1 (average = 2.13)
BEST DRESSED HARE: Logan Gardner
JUNIOR BOAR WEIGHT (lbs)
1st Ben Jensen 153
2nd Blair Wilkins 146.5
3rd Allie Miller 104
JUNIOR GOAT WEIGHT (lbs)
1st Ben Jensen 98
2nd James Beaton 95.4
3rd Blair Wilkins 94.2
CRITTERS HARE
1st Maddison Dobbs 4.240kg
2nd Aiden Dobbs 4.056kg
3rd Jessica Calder 3.896kg
CRITTERS RABBIT
1st Logan Tuki 2.184kg
2nd Tyler Tuki 2.094kg
3rd Hunter Lovell 2.054kg
CRITTERS FISH
1st Logan Gardner 2.0kg
2nd Flynn Travis .094kg
3rd Caleb Musson .056kg