An Omakau farmer came face to face with four alleged poachers on his farm just hours after he and some neighbours had been hunting on the same property with their children.
The young hunters were entered in the Becks Children's Hunting Contest at the weekend.
Matakanui Station owner Andrew Paterson said it was disturbing to discover four men hunting without permission on his 8700ha property on Saturday night.
Earlier that day, he had been hunting there with his son and some other fathers.
Their children had also been hunting on other parts of the farm as they had all entered the contest.
When they left one block, a hunter who had permission to be on the property moved on to the block and that man alerted Mr Paterson to the alleged poachers.
''He saw their lights up on the hill behind him.''
Mr Paterson contacted the police and then went and asked the four men why they were on the property without permission.
''One said 'I thought we were on Doc land' but it was miles away from any Doc land.''
''They'd already shot a deer and got a pig as well, so they'd been on the property for about four hours.''
''It created a very dangerous situation ... that's how fatalities can happen, if you've got hunters in the same area who aren't aware others are around.''
Any hunters given permission to be on his farm texted him when they entered the property and when they left, so he could keep track of them.
Mr Paterson has had problems in the past with illegal hunting and two of the neighbours, who had also had similar problems, were at his place when the men were arrested.
''I don't think the other landowners were very happy about the incident either,'' he said.
Two of the men were Australians and two were from Wanaka.
Prevention officer Constable Toni Velenski said she believed the Australian men, who were on holiday, had been befriended by the Wanaka men, who offered to take them hunting.
The deer and pig had been taken by police, the firearm was seized and the vehicle being used by the men had been bonded back to the owner.
The fate of the vehicle would be decided by the courts. Prevention Sergeant Derek Ealson, of Alexandra, said people's safety was of paramount importance and the incident placed people on the farm that night ''at huge risk''.
Two Wanaka men and two Australian men, aged 27, 29, 30 and 32, will appear in the Alexandra District Court on Monday to face charges of hunting illegally.
