KEY POINTS:
Emma McLaughlin kills wild pigs with her bare hands but insists she's a "girly girl" at heart.
The 19-year-old says hunting is in her blood and she isn't afraid to get her carefully manicured nails dirty if it means a day out with her dogs.
Ms McLaughlin was one of 300 hunters who turned out to support the annual Bullring Hunting Festival at Atiamuri held over the weekend.
Entrants from throughout the central North Island went bush for four days with the aim of bringing back a boar and, if they were lucky, taking home a prize or two.
The former Taupo Nui-A-Tia College student hunts at the back of her parents' drystock block at Maroa, between Tokoroa and Taupo.
At the weekend she could manage to kill only a wild sow, which didn't qualify for the competition's weigh-in.
It was a disappointing result for Ms McLaughlin, who last year won the festival's overall prize for killing the heaviest boar.
In bringing home the 78kg boar, she beat men who had more than 30 years' hunting experience.
It was the highlight of a special hunting season for Ms McLaughlin, who killed 32 wild pigs in four months - all without a rifle.
"It keeps me out of trouble. It's cool just being with my dogs and it's awesome to see a pup you've spent months training catch something."
Ms McLaughlin is the oldest girl in her family and, while she has several brothers, is the only child who hunts.
"Dad took me hunting when I was a baby. There's a photo of Dad out hunting, carrying me in the backpack when I was just 4 weeks old.
"Mum would go out with Dad and she'd breastfeed me on the side of the track."
Ms McLaughlin's father still hunts with her every now and then but usually ends up carrying his daughter's pigs. "He's my workhorse."
Ms McLaughlin, who works as a tour guide at Taupo's Huka Prawn Park, admits few women hunt and some people find her hobby a bit strange. "They say I'm crazy but anyone who knows me knows I'm really a girly-girl."
She likes to manicure her nails and the knife she uses to kill the pigs is coloured pink. "I don't even like the taste of pork. I give the pigs to my family to eat ... I'd rather eat sushi."
Sunday's prizegiving was held at the Atiamuri-based Pukeko and Bull Tavern. Owner and competition organiser Allen Bloor said the number of entries made it Australasia's biggest hunting event.
-DAILY POST
