LED headlamps a trap for night hunters

Rosemary Ives. Photo / Supplied

A Rotorua hunter who has twice come close to shooting a person while hunting in the dark says spotlighting hunters need to be wary of campers using LED headlamps as they could be mistaken for a deer's eye.

The warning comes after the death of 25-year-old Rosemary Ives, who was shot and killed at a DoC campsite near Turangi on Labour Weekend.

Ms Ives is believed to have been wearing a LED headlamp when she was shot.

Hunter Chris Ellery told the Daily Post he was spotlighting with friends on private land near Opotiki in December last year when he came close to shooting someone.

"There shouldn't have been anybody up there," he said.

They shone the spotlight at the edge of a clearing and one of his friends said "there's one".

"I looked up and saw the deer's eye through the trees."

Mr Ellery's father was a firearms safety officer who taught his son to fully identify his target before shooting.

"I couldn't identify anything of that deer apart from the eye, so I didn't pull the trigger.

"But so many people would just pull the trigger. These LED headlights look exactly like a deer's eye," he said.

The reflection of a deer's eye in a spotlight is a silver or green colour and has a very intense, bright reflection. LED lights emit a similarly intense light, as opposed to the old-fashioned incandescent yellow lights, he said.

Mr Ellery urged hunters to be aware of the dangers of mistaking LED lights for an animal's eye.

"Don't pull the trigger until you see all of the deer. And if you're wearing [a LED] headlamp, put reflector tape on your clothing and if someone puts a spotlight on you while you're wearing one, turn it off straight away," Mr Ellery said.

Firearms safety co-ordinator for Mountain Safety Rotorua Denley Tarplett said it was important for hunters to be very aware that people were mistaking LED headlights for game animals.

"You have to totally identify the target, not just one little part of it." Mr Tarplett was not keen on spotlighting because if the shot missed there was no knowing where the bullet was going to go.

Rotorua Deer Stalkers Association president Darren Cosgrave said people shouldn't spotlight at all.

"People shouldn't be shooting in darkness. It's the first rule - identify your target - and you cannot do that at night."

Rotorua Tramping and Skiing Club president Ian Hayes said he had not heard of LED lights being compared to a deer's eye before but would bring it up at the club's next meeting.

A 25-year-old Hamilton man facing a charge of careless use of a firearm causing death in relation to the death of Rosemary Ives is due in the Taupo District Court tomorrow.

- APN