Two private huts open to everyone, hunter training, a certified range, and 50-odd years of looking after our patch — from Queenstown to Te Anau.
We look after the Upper Caples and Mid Greenstone huts on the Greenstone–Caples. You don't need to be a member (or a hunter) to stay — check the calendar, book online, and pick up the keys in Queenstown.
Sixteen bunks in a grass clearing on the Caples Track. New stove in late 2023, gun cabinet, two drop toilets, gas cookers. A comfortable base for the Greenstone–Caples loop or the Steele Creek ballot.
Twelve bunks in two rooms, tucked beside the bush line near Steele Creek. Double-glazed in 2023, a gravity-fed shower, and WiFi — more than most back-country huts can say.
Last Thursday of every month at the Arrowtown Bowling Club. Bar opens 6.30 pm, meeting starts 7.30 pm, usually a guest speaker, done around 9.45 pm. Prospective members welcome — come for the talk, stay for a yarn.
Election of officers, annual report, then the regular club night. Bar opens 6.30 pm, meeting 7.30 pm.
Working bee on the hut combined with a hunt in the ballot area. Bring a pack, gloves and your own gear.
Last Thursday of the month — guest speaker to be confirmed. Bar opens 6.30 pm, meeting 7.30 pm.
Membership is a community of hunters who'll show you the country, free stays in our two club huts, $10 million of public liability insurance, the Steele Creek ballot, club nights, and discounts on backcountry huts and gear. You don't need a firearms licence to join, and you don't need to come to everything.
Free at both club huts for local active members, plus entry to the Steele Creek ballot area.
Whenever you're hunting, including a $1 million rural-fires extension. Often what unlocks forestry-block access.
Club nights, organised hunts, working bees — and members who'll take a newcomer out and show them how it's done.
Discounts on DOC backcountry huts and outdoor shops, the monthly newsletter, and a say in how hunting is looked after.
NZDA's national hunter-training programme, run here by local instructors who've done it for years. Bush craft, river safety, firearms, animal sign, butchery — everything you need to get into the hills safely and ethically. You don't need a firearms licence to start.
Where the law sits, where the ethics sit, and how hunters are expected to behave on public land.
What to take, what to leave at home, and how to eat well in the bush.
Topo maps, route cards, GPS — and when not to trust them.
Reds, fallow, chamois, tahr, goats, pigs. Behaviour, sign, where to find them.
Choosing a rifle, the seven rules, practical shooting and ballistics.
Stalking, spot-and-stalk, how to move quietly, when to wait.
Skinning, butchery, looking after the meat.
First aid in a hunting context, what to do when the weather turns, when to bail out.
The trap line, Wild Meat Donation, the HUNTS course and the huts are funded by branch members and a handful of supporters across the district.
