James Dodds' partner speaks out at coroner's inquest

Gabrielle Molloy - the partner of hunting shooting victim James Dodds - says the only way hunters will stop shooting their companions is by stopping them from splitting up.

She made the call at the coroner's inquest into the death of James Wilson Dodds heard before coroner Dr Wallace Bain in Rotorua today.

Mr Dodds was killed on September 7, 2012 when his friend and hunting companion Henry Robert Worsp had mistaken him for a deer in the Paeroa Ranges. On January 10 Worsp, an outdoor safety expert, was convicted of careless use of a firearm causing Mr Dodds' death.

Three witnesses were called during the inquest including the officer in charge of search and rescue Detective Sergeant John Wilson, Worsp and manager of licensing and vetting service centre the New Zealand police, Inspector Joseph Michael Green. Ms Molloy spoke after witnesses.

At the inquest Dr Bain was told how Worsp had shot Mr Dodds while they had become separated while hunting fallow deer, which are smaller than red deer and can be white, light brown or almost black in colour. Ms Molloy reccommended rules around not being able to shoot when seperated from hunting companions to be included in the Arms Code.

Mr Wilson told the court that Worsp was convinced Mr Dodds was behind him after hearing noises over his right shoulder.

He then saw what he believed was a fallow stag. Worsp took measures to confirm it was a stag including moving off track to get a clearer view and looked through the telescope on his rifle. He was confident he could see antlers, the deer lower it's head out of view as well as the deer's back and shoulder. Worsp then took his shot.

What he was actually watching was Mr Dodds.

Mr Wilson said Worsp could have mistaken Mr Dodds for the stag because of a homemade backpack he was wearing and the colour of his hair.

He said when Worsp realised he had shot his friend he immediately renedered first aid, marked the location and climbed to a high point to call emergency services.

During the inquest, Worsp held back tears as he gave evidence about the day he "shot and killed my friend James Dodds".

He couldn't explain how he had mistaken his friend for a deer and was so sure he had identified his target.

"I could see a deer ... I could see it's back and I could see it moving and I was very certain it was a deer.

"That wasn't enough for me to shoot.

"I can't understand it or explain it."

He said he knew he didn't accurately identify his target, which was one of his biggest regrets from the day. The other was splitting up with Mr Dodds.

He told the court he had considered himself to be a safe and conscientious hunter and knew the risks of shooting another person.

"I was well aware of the risk of shooting another person but I can't say I ever expected it would happen to me.

"The obvious mistake I made was not identifying my target. I thought I took long enough in the circumstances and believed 100 per cent that I was looking at a deer.

He urged hunters to not split up with their hunting companions.

"Don't split up, wear human looking clothing and be open minded about using technology as another layer of safety."

Inspector Green said safety issues relating to this case included when hunting with someone they should cease until visual contact had been made and confirmed, do not shoot when others are known to be in the firing zone and when hunting with a companion in parallel keep sight of each other.

Ms Molloy told Dr Bain the incident was the most "horiffic" thing she had gone through in her life and she had talked with Worsp many times about what had happened.