With 'The Hunters Club', the aim is to put in the hard yards, reaching areas deep within NZ's mountainous backcountry, showcasing the natural beauty of these locations, and to really 'earn' the right to take a shot. For them, it's all about being physically fit, digging deep to reap the rewards, and doing it all in a way that's respectful to the animals being hunted.
Introducing The Hunters Club:
Tim Barnett
Base - Nelson
Growing up in the Nelson region, Tim developed an early love of hunting, fostered by his father and grandfather, both of whom were avid pig hunters. Tim works as a commercial diver harvesting paua, kina, and crayfish. Through this work, Tim has developed a passion for spearfishing, often described as underwater hunting. During his OE, Tim even found space for his spearfishing gear and had many adventures abroad.
He has hunted extensively throughout the South, Stewart and Chatham Islands, targeting Whitetail, Red Deer, Tahr, Chamois, Pigs, Wild Bulls, Wild Ram, and Fallow. More recently Tim has returned home to Nelson and once again formed a pack of young pig dogs. He has also taken up the bow and enjoys the challenge of stalking in close.
Tim has always enjoyed introducing friends to his style of hunting and our back country and is looking forward to showcasing the different methods of hunting and wild places we are lucky to have in NZ.
Favourite Boot
"With pig hunting being my main form of hunting I need a robust boot that can take a hammering. With a high rand and minimal stitching in the high wear areas of the boot it is not hard to see why the Tibet's are a very popular boot for pig hunters. It only took me 20 years to figure this out". - Tim Barnett
Anto Hall
Base - Queenstown
Anto was born into a proud hunting heritage, hunting and fishing with his Father from an early age in the Nelson region. Eventually, Anto spread his wings and targeted Lincoln University for study knowing it also included a rich resource of hunting opportunities around Canterbury and met many like-minded people including fellow club founding members Dan Curley & Andre Alipate. Anto’s passion for the outdoors only grew while at university spending more time with his mates in the mountains than reading books in class but managed to achieve his goals graduating Lincoln University, giving him employment in the spectacular Southern Lakes Region which he now calls home.
Anto spends most of his spare time in the mountains and valleys surrounding his home town of Queenstown and is blessed to located within the heart of some of the best hunting and fishing in the world, boasting access to stunning Rainbow and Brown Trout fishing and a wide variety of Big Game animals including Red, Fallow and Whitetail deer, Wapiti (Elk), Chamois, Goats and Himalayan Tahr.
“The pinnacle of hunting is exceeding one’s own goals, pushing yourself beyond any barrier to achieve success, only then will you feel contentment and satisfaction”. - Anto Hall
Andre Alipate
Base - Hamilton
As a keen hunter and fisherman as they come, Andre Alipate is based out of Hamilton in the mighty Waikato, handy to some of the best hunting the Bay of Plenty and Central North Island has to offer and the unique species this part of the country harbours.
Growing up in various parts of the Pacific and Australasia, hunting and fishing have always been a way of life for the proud Tongan. After cutting his teeth hunting Red Stag, Tahr and Chamois in the South Island for many years, the move back to the North Island has taken Andre out of the tops and back into the bush chasing Sambar, Sika and more recently Rusa deer.
A Geotechnical Engineer by trade, Andre specialises in more expedition back pack style hunting. He thrives on the physical and mental challenges any hunting trip brings especially when the going gets tough, he’s no stranger to hard work in tough conditions. Hunting is not always about the trophy or filling the freezer. Driven by adventure, it’s the journey, the wilderness and the people you do it with that often make the most memorable trips for Andre. Whether it’s with bow or rifle, hunting for Andre epitomises the most basic of primal instincts and skill.
Check out Andre's adventures on:
Dan Curley
Base - Wanaka
Dan Curley grew up bush hunting the hills of New Zealand’s North Island – learning the trade in such areas as the Tararuas, Rimutakas, Kawekas and the central plateau’s National Park. After moving south some 13 years ago, it wasn’t long before the Southern Alps and it’s superb alpine hunting opportunities became a passion, with Dan now insisting that nothing comes close to the experience or personal fulfilment of free range big game hunting in New Zealand’s pristine back country.
Like many others passionate about the sport, Dan became a little frustrated at the style and effort put into documenting big game hunting in New Zealand, and after spending a couple of weekends introducing Dave Shaw to the sport of Tahr hunting and fly fishing, they decided it was worth combining their skills in an attempt to set a new standard of production.
Sam Yule
Base - Dunedin
Growing up in South Otago Sam was introduced to small game hunting at an early age.
A move to Dunedin in his early teenage years, saw him chasing goats and the odd deer on mates farms. However, it wasn’t until a move to Wanaka to pursue a building apprenticeship that the desire to hunt was really let out of the cage. Sam quickly developed a craving for the big country and spent most weekends with pack on back and rifle in hand. Whilst he enjoys the companionship of hunting with a mate, he equally relishes in the challenges and solitude which come from solo missions. Hunting for Sam is more about getting out on the hill and out of cellphone coverage than it is about securing an animal.
Sam prides himself on having high standards when it comes to trophies and often reaches for the camera rather than the rifle, however when the freezer needs filling he’s more than obliging.
A move back to Dunedin with now wife Kirstin, saw Sam hitting the handy mountains at Beaumont. It was here that he found great enjoyment in bush stalking and quickly adapted to the different hunting style and was rewarded with success often. Sam, now a proud father finds that hunting trips need to be a lot less spontaneous than in previous years. However, with an extremely understanding better half he still finds ample time to pursue his passion and considers himself very fortunate to call the South Island home.
David Shaw
Base - Kerikeri
Dave Shaw has over a decade of experience in TV production gained from both home and abroad. Prior to starting up The Hunters Club, Dave was the lead camera operator and head of post production on the ITM Fishing Show, which rates as one of NZ’s most watched shows in any genre. It was through the show that Dave crossed paths with Dan, and from there they decided that it was high time someone set out to show the general public exactly what makes hunting in New Zealand so very special.
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