Thread: Hunter shot in Kaimai Range near Te Aroha

30 plus years ago one of my best mates was shot and killed by a hunter in his party, mistaken for a deer. They were hunting sika in summer my mate had ginger hair and while out hunting strayed from his intended area and was shot. It was a case of not identifying his target, at the court hearing the shooter swore 110% that he was looking at a deer but the judge said you were 110% wrong.
He was fined a $1000.
Another case I know of happened to a friend of my brother, hunting in the Kiamia Ranges many years ago. It had been raining and the guy shot was wearing a yellow rain coat ( no fancy gear back then) they ( three of them ) had been stalking an area heavy with deer sign the guy who was shot came out on a clearing and paused for a break, when the shooter came out on the bottom of the clearing and raised his rifle and let strip. The bullet hit the scope on his rifle and sent bits of bullet and scope through various parts of his upper body. Bleeding badly his brother managed to patch him up the best he could and got help and he survived. The guy shooting was convinced he was a deer. ( the mind had been made up the next thing he saw was going to be a deer due to the amount of sign about.)
It's hard to believe anyone could make that mistake especially when the one shot was wearing a yellow rain coat, but there you have it. It shouldn't happen if the safety rules are observed but it does happen. These two cases illustrate that we must be careful all the time, be safe this roar.