Women are increasingly taking part — and winning — in hunting competitions, with organisers of the Pureora hunting competition pointing to a clear shift in participation and visibility.
Sophie Juno has been entering the hunting competition since she was a kid.
"It's exciting you know, I think until you get really close to one, you don't realise how much of an adrenaline rush it is," she said.
It is also a vital part of conservation nationwide, DOC Biosecurity Ranger Mel Jessen said there were a large number of deer in the forest following a boom during Covid.
"Deer are a browsing animal and they do a lot of damage to the forest, so hunters do keep the numbers dramatically down. Without hunting, I think we would have a big problem"
Early mornings, patience and hard work has paid off for Juno, who took out the winning title in 2019.
"I guess for me, it's more about the hunting than the size of the head, but yeah, it was pretty cool and got that one mounted."
In 2024, the top categories were all won by women, while data from the Firearms Safety Authority showed overall, women make up 8.7% of license holders and 17.7% of first-time licence holders as of January this year.
Jessen said social media was at play and groups like Wahine and Wapiti, which offers trips to upskill on hiking and navigation.
"It's really good to see because women seem to do really well at hunting as well and give the guys a bit of a run for their money, so yeah, I believe there's definitely a rise there."
For Juno, it is also a chance to detach.
"I think in this day and age, you're expected to be accessible at all times, answering your phone, you know, work emails when you're out in the bush, you're just focusing on the job at hand."
Locals can preregister their entries at different centres, or present them on the day, before they are measured using the Douglas core and weighed.
The winner will be revealed at a prize giving on April 26.
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