Sika Country Taxidermy Ltd.

13/10/2024

Hey everyone, here’s an opportunity to support a great cause. Get in behind these amazing people as the Sika Foundation does some amazing work for both wildlife and people 👌

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/pXay2TYRsUu8vUTp/?mibextid=ox5AEW

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧!

We're excited to announce a special raffle in support of our Whio Recovery Project.

The prize is an incredible Stag head mount, crafted by the award-winning Sika Country Taxidermy, generously donated by Vern & Louise Pearson.

Each ticket is just $20 and they are limited! Grab yours before they're gone!

Visit The Sika Foundation booth at the Sika Show on November 2 & 3 to buy a ticket in person or grab yours in the pre-sale now.

To buy your ticket(s), make payment to 06-0429-0299973-25, use your name as the reference and "RAFFLE" as the code. Next, email [email protected] with your name and phone number.

If you have a specific number you'd like, let us know and we’ll check its availability.

Once your payment is received, we’ll confirm your ticket number(s), and you'll be in the draw!

Don’t miss this chance to support a great cause and win an amazing prize. The raffle closes on November 3 at 2:00pm. The prize will be drawn during the Sika Show’s prizegiving.

Good luck!

12/10/2024

"A lot of people who are already in the camp of, 'oh that's wrong or nasty or cruel', I would say pause your judgement a little bit and you might understand."

02/10/2024

Here's another rarity:
This is a European Brown Hare from New Zealand, but in the blue phase. Not something you see everyday!

This little gem was entered in the annual New Zealand Taxidermy Association's competition by Louise, where it was awarded best Small Mammal in the Masters Division and Best Habitat, as well.

02/10/2024

Here is a great personal trophy!

Vern shot this 17 year old bull on the West Coast a couple of years ago. A real battler which we guess lost a horn early on as the skin had fully healed over on top of the skull and he'd managed to live for a long life despite also being blind in one eye!

Vern entered his bull in the 2024 New Zealand Taxidermy Association's annual competition and received a blue ribbon in the Masters Division.

03/09/2024

Isn't that something?! ;-)

Last year our dedicated members have spent nearly 9,600 hours maintaining trails and huts, ensuring they are safe and welcoming for all adventurers.

This week we are celebrating National Conservation Week. Stay tuned and follow for more stories on how hunters are conservationists.

27/08/2024

Uhh a bit exciting!🤩
Who’s hunting on the West Coast?

Recently we received an ‘encouraging’ report from deep within the Omoeroa Range on the West Coast. The report describes two distinct b**g like call notes, totally stunning never heard before wonderful musical calls. Heard within the tops of a Rimū glade during daylight hours. This follows earlier reports, albeit some time ago, of possible encounters or signs of the SI kōkako in the same area back in 1996, 2001 and 2003.
Described as being a truly dense forest and hard going terrain. We encourage all those capable and willing of following up this reports to head into this area. Remembering to always be prepared and never do anything you are not comfortable with. Best of luck hunting out there and stay safe. 🤞

14/08/2024

We’re stoked to share that Vern won a first place in his category in the small- medium Gamehead section in the Masters division at the World Taxidermy championship in Iowa, USA last week.

14/08/2024

Our entries at the 2024 World Taxidermy championship in Iowa, USA.

It was the biggest taxidermy competition ever held with more than 700 entries spread across several divisions. We competed in the Masters Division, and Vern’s perseverance and many hours spent creating a beautiful chamois mount paid off and he placed first in the game head category. That is a fantastic result as the stakes are high and the judging intense.

19/11/2023

Need a pretty cool Christmas pressie?
Check this out.
All for a good cause!

Another fabulous auction for you on Trade Me! You can bid on this professionally framed artwork by Madison Coulter Fine Arts. Madison, a renowned NZ wildlife artist, created this impressive one-off original artwork so we can raise funds for the Sika Foundation Conservation Trust Sika spiker collar tracking programme. Bidding is open now! Just in time for Christmas!
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/art/prints/still-life/listing/4422274034

13/10/2023

Louise's personal red stag trophy from a couple of years back is finally all done, sometimes the waiting list is long at the taxidermist, ha ha.

08/10/2023

Here a little bit to start the week off nicely.
This is Vern's personal fallow trophy which he entered in the recent 2023 NZTA competition and won the most Artistic Award for.

03/10/2023

Fighting sika stags!
Call into the Hunting and Fishing shop in Whanganui and see these two yourself

03/10/2023

Action close up

03/10/2023

Tanned skins for sale

18/08/2023

Have you had a look at this?
A lot of good stuff at your finger tips as well as supporting the ones who are working hard on representing our interests and retaining our hunting lifestyles for generations to come.

06/06/2023

Protect what you care about. Don’t take it for granted

Valuing white-tailed deer on Stewart Island/Rakiura

The GAC with support from the Rakiura Hunter Camp Trust, is seeking to understand what white-tailed deer on Stewart Island/Rakiura mean to the New Zealand hunting community. This will not only help inform our knowledge of hunting on the island, but also help us raise awareness of the views of white-tailed deer hunters.

If you have hunted on Stewart Island/Rakiura we would love to hear about what the white-tailed deer hunting experience on the island means to you. The questions will take about two minutes to answer and all feedback will remain anonymous.

Please provide feedback at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HCB5Q52

Rakiura Hunter Camp Trust

05/04/2023

𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞

The roar is upon us so if you’re heading out to go hunting in the Central North Island soon, here is some useful info about which roads are closed and which are open.

Clements Mill Road = Open
Kiko Road = Closed
Kaimanawa Road = Open
Mt Urchin Track Road = 4WD only
Tree Trunk Gorge = Open
TTG walking tracks = Closed
Southern Access Route = Open

Photo: Gerald Fluerty

More info here: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/central-north-island/places/kaimanawa-forest-park/?tab-id=50578

03/03/2023

“The culling of bulls from our National Parks is a tragic waste of a historically valuable resource. In Mt Cook / Aoraki National Park there is more history of tahr and tahr hunting than anywhere else in the country, the liberation site and where the first tahr were shot under licence. Tahr were present in both Mount Cook and Westland National Parks before the parks were gazetted. Department of Conservation policies restricting aerial access from large parts of the tahr range like our National Parks has been a complete failure for conservation values. The taxpayer is left with a massive aerial control bill when the job could be largely done by recreational hunters and boost local economies. Going forward, we need to see the GAC take a greater role on making decisions, rather than DOC.”

Marcus Pinney wrote an opinion piece on Tahr for issue 218 of NZ Hunting & Wildlife. Marcus has hunted tahr extensively and is passionate about tahr management and maximising the use of the great resource that we are so fortunate to have here in New Zealand.

Read the full story here: https://www.deerstalkers.org.nz/resources-2/publications/news/tahr-a-complex-issue

Photo credit: Darryl Busbridge.