River Inn Moonlight Hunt had gone more than great guns over the long weekend, proving again to be a fundraising beast.
It triggered a record slew of hunter gatherers, with more than 200 adults and kids besieging Top of the South and Canterbury’s hunting blocks from 7pm Thursday until Sunday’s weigh-in at the River Inn Hotel at 2pm.
They returned to Tākaka with tonnes of game and pest animals, along with tusks, tails and heads.
Prize winners included Ella and Paige Baigent for their 168kg red stag.
Preliminary figures indicate the hunt has raised more than $25,000 for the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust, setting a new fundraising record.
Organisers Paula Sixtus, husband Richard and son Jamie have previously said the trust is chosen as the event’s beneficiary because the rescue helicopter is a vital service for Golden Bay, responding to accidents and medical emergencies throughout the region.
Over the moon by the successive smashed targets, Jamie saluted the volunteers, the sponsors for donating prizes and offering further support, everyone who tried their hunting luck, and the wider community who gave the raffles, and pie and pig throwing competition a shot.
