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Upper Clutha
Deerstalkers
This report presents the full results of the Upper Clutha Deerstalkers' member and community survey, now closed with 43 responses — nearly double the 23-response interim dataset reported earlier. Of these, 38 are current members and 5 are lapsed members who provided valuable re-engagement insight. No non-member hunters responded in this round.
The findings reconfirm, with a much larger sample, the same clear priority: a local shooting range. When members ranked their own priorities directly, the range tied with land access & advocacy for first place — both well ahead of every other option. Support for the club investing in a range is close to unanimous (93%). Communication remains a genuine strength, and a healthy pool of willing volunteers is ready to be put to work. The club has a solid foundation and a clear mandate for where to focus next.
A broader, more middle-aged sample than the interim results. With the fuller dataset, 35–49 year olds are now the largest single bracket (15), followed by 50–64 (13) and 65+ (11). Only four respondents are aged 25–34 and none under 25 — the club's engagement of younger hunters remains its most immediate demographic challenge. Activity levels are strong throughout: nearly half the membership hunts 6+ times a year, and 13 hunt 10 or more times a year.
Of the 43 respondents, 38 (88%) are current members and 5 (12%) are lapsed members — no first-time, never-joined hunters responded this round. Among current members, 1–3 years' tenure is the single largest group (16), suggesting a strong recent intake alongside a solid core of longer-standing members (7 with more than 10 years). See Section 8 for what the lapsed members told us.
Red deer (42 of 43) and fallow deer (34) dominate, as expected for the Upper Clutha region, with goats, Himalayan tahr and rabbits forming a strong second tier. A long tail of species — chamois, wallabies, waterfowl, whitetail, sika, wapiti, sambar, even feral cats — confirms members hunt across a genuinely wide range of terrain and seasons. This breadth still supports the case for varied club competitions and events that appeal across skill levels and interests.
Email newsletter remains king. 37 of 38 current members chose it as a preferred channel — the Hindsight newsletter is, by a wide margin, the club's most effective communication tool. Communication is rated Good or Excellent by every single respondent, an even split between the two. Monthly meetings and WhatsApp are strong secondary channels. Note: satisfaction (7.3) and recommend (7.7) have eased slightly from the interim 23-response snapshot (7.7 / 7.9) now that a larger, more representative sample is in — still solidly positive, but worth watching.
The larger dataset only strengthens this finding. The lack of a local shooting range is raised throughout the survey — as a barrier, a reason members join or don't rejoin, and the single most common answer to "what should the club improve." When members directly ranked their priorities (Section 5), the range tied for first place. 93% of all respondents support the club investing in one.
93% support (40 of 43). 24 respondents strongly support and 16 support the club investing time, funds and grant applications into establishing a local range; only 3 are neutral, and nobody is opposed. This is as close to unanimous as a survey result gets.
One lead worth chasing, one worth clarifying: A member suggested exploring a partnership with "the guy who has the range in Cardrona" — but another respondent specifically flagged this operation is not Real Guns, correcting an assumption from the earlier report. Several members also currently zero at the Cardrona range but describe it as busy and expensive for regular social use. Separately, a member again noted the club has sufficient funds to consider leasing land from a private landowner. Access incidents at Spotts Creek and the Cardrona Valley Road entrance to The Stacks were reported again — both useful for DOC advocacy (Section 5).
| # | Incident Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Spotts Creek — access restriction |
| 2 | Hunter Valley — 4WD access restricted |
| 3 | Cardrona Valley Road entrance to The Stacks — access restricted |
| 4 | Hunter Valley and Pisa Range — difficult to access; getting into The Stack by foot is "very tricky" |
| 5 | Access to The Stack from the Cardrona side |
| 6 | DOC blocks with firearm carriage restrictions through private land |
| 7 | Cannot carry rifle on access tracks in the Lindis and up the true arm at Lake Hawea |
| 8 | "Too many to list" (member comment) |
When forced to rank rather than just rate, members are unambiguous. The local shooting range and land access & advocacy tie for first priority (average rank 2.58 of 9), well clear of club events (3.53) in third. Competitions and trophy recognition rank dead last (7.84) — consistent with the activity ratings in Section 6. Building relationships with private landowners is the single most-selected advocacy focus (29 of 38 members), directly relevant to both the range and clubhouse search. One member also raised opposition to WARO and the roar ballot system not prioritising local hunters — worth noting for national advocacy positioning.
The shooting range and DOC advocacy are the clear top two at 4.42 and 4.32 out of 5, consistent with the ranking exercise in Section 5. Club hunts, local knowledge sharing, private property access and conservation work form a solid middle tier (all around 3.7–3.8). Trophy and game competitions again rate lowest (2.53) — members value participation and access over formal competition. Guest speakers and educational evenings hold up well (3.42) — continue investing in quality speakers at meetings.
Timing clashes remain the dominant barrier — 14 members cited work and family conflicts, well ahead of distance (2). One member specifically raised hearing difficulty at the current venue: "I am probably not the only member with hearing damage — the club meetings are very hard to follow because of the background noise. It puts me off attending." Two members separately suggested changing the meeting night or start time (e.g. starting at 6pm). Both the noise issue and the timing clashes point toward the same fix already flagged by members: a dedicated clubhouse and more flexible scheduling.
A strong volunteer base is available. 17 of 38 members (45%) are ready to help right now with tasks or committee roles, and a further 11 are open to it depending on what's involved. That's 28 members — nearly three-quarters of the membership — who aren't a flat "no." Don't wait for them to come forward — reach out directly with a specific ask. A working group for the range project would be an ideal starting point to engage these members immediately.
New in this dataset: 5 of the 43 respondents are lapsed members. It's a small sample, but every one of them still knows the club exists, and their reasons for not rejoining are practical rather than a loss of interest — which makes them a realistic, low-cost source of new membership.
All five lapsed respondents simply "never got around to rejoining" — there is no expressed dissatisfaction driving the lapse. Access to private land, a local shooting range, youth programmes and lower/trial membership fees are the clearest levers to bring them back. In their own words: "More ladies hunts" and "Affordable gun range for zeroing and practicing." Of the five, two said a range alone would be a significant factor (one said it would be enough on its own) — reinforcing that the range investment (Section 4) doubles as a recruitment tool, not just a member benefit. A simple, low-effort re-engagement email or phone call to lapsed members is likely to convert several of them.
"Runs a great HUNTS Course each year. Organises good club hunts. Keeps members informed of important matters relating to all hunting activities."
"Good communication. Provides a range of activity for all members according to experience and skill level."
"Club hunts, especially Wallaby hunts & rekindling the excellent past relationship we had with DOC."
"Gives us hunters a united voice."
"Good monthly meetings with interesting guests and information — love the raffles!"
"Hunts Course & access to a shooting range when it had it, on the Wanaka–Lake Hawea highway."
"Keeping in touch with members. Liked the boot sale. The game chiller is great."
"HUNTS, advocacy, camaraderie, skills training and hunting opportunities."
"The town is growing but our numbers are stagnant. There's so many hunters in our town but they don't see value in the NZDA. A range would fix that — there's plenty of money in the account to lease land off a landowner."
"Obtain a shooting range, which already seems to be a focus based on this survey. New young members want to fire rifles — visit the Real Guns range as evidence. Will encourage new membership and licence holders."
"Try again to involve more young people in participating fully in the club's activities. Connect more with the wider community to encourage new members and educate the public about our conservation and pest control work."
"Club rooms, or a place without distractions during our meetings."
"Push back on things that are wrecking local hunting — e.g. WARO, the roar ballot system not prioritising locals."
"Work on better hunting areas with DOC, with no helicopter hunting in some local valleys, to improve hunting opportunities."
"Consider the timing of club evenings — mix up the days of the week and see if it changes attendance."
"Look at doing more hunts or mini awards, e.g. most rabbits shot. Quarterly hunts would bring the morale up."
"Worth trying another Hunting Competition and Wild Foods Dinner."
"Junior events or hunts — kids hunting, max 16 kids on the ballot form."
"Teen hunts / workshops." · "Youth hunts courses."
"Building an app for members of the Upper Clutha Deerstalkers community — for education, updates, events, calendar reminders, a group chat, etc."
"Assistance to existing and new licence holders in renewals and obtaining a licence — numbers are dropping drastically according to COLFO."
"A buy/sell page — or is there already one somewhere?"