Renwick roars to life as hunters gather

Hunters gathered in their hundreds over the weekend to take part in the  2024 Woodbourne Tavern Pig and Deer Hunt.

With 547 open entries, 115 ‘young guns’ and a “whopping” 201 whippersnapper children’s entries, returning hunters and keen supporters were welcomed back from the back of beyond with hot food, cold drinks and over $40k in prizes to win on Sunday.

Despite pre-event thoughts of a quieter time this year, Woodbourne Tavern owner/operator Rowan Ingpen was thrilled by the entry numbers on the day.

"Entries on par from last year, which is great considering times are tough and we were expecting entries to be down on last year”, says Rowan.

“Kids 'whipper snappers' entries have almost doubled on last year, with over 200 entries which we’re really pleased by”.

The grand prize, a 2017 Mitsubishi Triton GLX ute supplied and bought from Marlborough Motor Centre, was won by “over the moon” 17-year-old Queen Charlotte College student Blake Hebberd.

The young gun category spot prize, a Kawasaki KGX90 quadbike supplied and bought from Marlborough Motorcycles, was won by Thomas Andrews.

For 15 years it has been a top highlight for hunters across the Top of the South.

And this year the iconic event is back with a bang, boasting more prizes, bigger prize money, and plenty of rewards for younger hunters.

Tavern owners and hunt organisers siblings Rowan Ingpen and Stacey Goodwin operate the tavern together with their parents Richard Marlow and Adrianna Ingpen.

Inspiring future generations of hunters is important to the experienced publicans who have worked hard to ensure the hunt is about the whole community.

For Rowan, the Woody Pig and Deer Hunt is a highlight of the year - a chance to bring people together and create memories.

"It's a fantastic day out for the whole family. Everybody enjoys themselves, mixing and mingling, and the kids love it.

“Every year is a highlight, seeing the community come together and enjoy the weigh-in and prizegiving.

“It is great to catch up and chew the fat with people who we haven't seen for the last year, and who make it their ritual to come to the hunt.”

From pigs to deer, rabbits to possums, every quarry presents a challenge.

Some impressive records have been set in past years with Murray Frost’s big deer in 2017 weighing in at 122.6kg and Bruce Anderson’s 82kg pig in 2023 being ‘just shy’ of 200 pond pig.

Last year's champions, Toby Clay-Davis and Eddie Davis, set the bar high with their impressive boar, weighing in at a formidable 40 kilograms.

Rowan says having Marlborough Motor Centre on board as the major sponsor has increased the numbers with the opportunity to win a ute in the Open Section.

“We are hoping to see an increase in Young Guns this year with Marlborough Motorcycles giving away a quad in this category as the major spot prize.

“We are also thrilled to have Marlborough Hunting and Fishing on board with the sponsorship of the Whippersnappers class.

“We are extremely grateful of the continued support of our amazing sponsors. An event of this size cannot be run without the sponsorship from local businesses, and we hope in return the competitors will support them."