Experienced hunter's death in Waitaki District result of cardiac event

Russell Brown was hunting with a group in the Five Forks area the weekend of January 28-29 but had gone off on his own the night before to go hunting. Photo / Google

An experienced hunter died from a cardiac event after shooting a wild pig in the Waitaki District last year.

A coroner's report has deemed that 53-year-old Russell Brown's death was a result of a cardiac event.

He was found dead on January 29, 2017, the morning after he went missing. A police-led search and rescue was called and Brown was located around 6am.

"His rifle was located approximately 25m away and the carcass of a wild pig, estimated to weigh about 65 kgs, was located approximately 40m from his body.

"Police observed Mr Brown had injuries to his nose which suggested he had fallen face down without attempting to break his fall," Windley said.

Brown was hunting in the Five Forks area during the weekend of January 28-29 with a group but had gone off on his own the night before to go hunting.

Others from the group he was with heard a gunshot around 8pm from where he was hunting, shortly after Brown called an associate to confirm he had shot a wild pig.

"At around 8.10 pm Mr Brown called one of his associates, Craig MacGillivray, on his cellphone and reported he had just shot a wild pig.

"Mr MacGillivray walked to the area he believed Mr Brown to be in and observed Mr Brown across the ridgeline," Coroner Windley wrote in the report.

The pair were some distance apart and arranged to meet elsewhere. MacGillivray went back to the hut the party was staying to get a quad bike.

Upon his arrival at the rendezvous, MacGilvray was not able to locate Brown. The hunting group attempted to locate the missing hunter before calling police at 11.45pm.

Brown's medical records show he was a heavy smoker and his family had a history of heart disease.