Deerstalker's Assn welcomes charges in fatal shooting

The New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association has welcomed the police's decision to lay charges against a hunter following the shooting of a Lower Hutt school teacher in the central North Island.
Rosemary Margaret Ives, 25, was on a camping holiday near Turangi when shot dead on Friday night by a hunter who mistook her for a deer or possum.
A 25-year-old Hamilton man has been charged with careless use of a firearm.
Ms Ives was reportedly brushing her teeth in a remote area of bush near Turangi when shot.
It was understood the hunter shot her from the road alongside the camp site, after seeing her in his spotlight.
She died metres from her tent in the Department of Conservation campsite on Kaimanawa Rd.
The association called the death the ``devastating result'' of misuse of a firearm, doubly repugnant because the user discharged his firearm near a public place.
It retracted and apologised for ``ill-chosen comments'' made by its national president, Alec McIver, over the weekend.
``Our president did not mean to construct this tragedy as `a freakish accident' or to trivialise or excuse it by referring to it as `an unusual situation','' the association said in a statement.
Though his choice of words was unwise, his intention was neither malicious nor intended to cause distress, it said.
The association ``utterly condemned'' any use of a firearm which occurred illegally, and which was careless, no matter what time of day it occurred.
``The fact this occurred at night in very poor light, shows the scant regard this man from Hamilton had for correct and responsible use of his firearm.''
Meanwhile, the death highlighted the need for hunters to follow the basic rules of firearms safety and comply with firearms law at all times, the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council said.
All hunters needed not only to know the seven basic firearms safety rules, but to apply each part of them at all times, council firearms and hunter training programme manager Mike Spray said today.
``This regrettable incident could have been avoided by following Rule 4: Identify your target beyond all doubt.''
Spot lighting was legal on private land but extra care was required as the field of vision was limited to the beam of the spotlight only and target identification needed to be positively confirmed, Mr Spray said.
There were very few non-intentional incidents each year in New Zealand which lead to injury or death, he said.
All firearms users needed to stay alert at all times when handling firearms and take special care, Mr Spray said
Members of online forum Fish'n'Hunt expressed outrage at the actions of the hunter.
After a matter of hours the thread reached 10 pages and was still growing, forum administrator Alan Simmons said.