Watch: Man mistaken for deer and shot by hunting buddy hopes to avert future tragedy

Ross had separated from his hunting partner when he was shot with his story retold in a police re-enactment video. Photo / Supplied

A man mistaken for a red deer and shot on a hunting trip is now spearheading a police campaign aimed at ensuring all hunters come home alive.

Ross - whose last name is not given - features in a new police video, saying he had been suffering from his injuries since his hunting partner shot him in the arm in 2008.

The pair had been walking in the bush when Ross' mate wanted to stop for a toilet break.

"So we discussed that we would not load the rifle, that we would not chamber a round and that we were to meet at the high point some kilometre away from where he was," Ross said.

Ross walked ahead and began checking clearings in the bush.

Ross has shared his story in the hope it prevents future tragedies. Photo / Supplied

Keeping 2m to 3m near the track so he wouldn't miss hearing his mate walk past, he raised his rifle to his eye to get a better view through the scope.

As he lowered the rifle, he took a moment to note his fine summer tan.

"I thought to myself: 'Geez, my arm's a little bit brown and stuff so it's been a good summer'," he said.

"And within a second of thinking that I hear the shot.

"Obviously in his mind [he] saw a deer."

Ross screamed in pain.

"Panic set in, the hair stood up on the back of my neck and realised I was in a fair bit of strife."

Ross was shot in the arm with his story retold in a police re-enactment video. Photo / Supplied

Ross ran back down the track where he met his mate. The pair were at least 5km deep in the bush.

Ross told his mate to run for help.

Ross' first aid training kicked in as he remembered to try to keep his injured arm high and his heart rate low.

As it became dark, he heard a helicopter in the distance, but it was still three or four hours before his mate arrived with help.

He was carried out of the bush and flown to hospital.

Ross' mate was convicted of careless use of a firearm causing injury.

"Me and my mate had discussed that he'd had a pretty busy couple of weeks of work," Ross said.

"In hindsight, he may have been fatigued and bad judgments were probably made from that."

One tragic, split-second mistake ruined years of good memories.

Ross was shot on a hunting trip after becoming separated from his hunting partner. Photo / Supplied

"All that hunting that I did with my mate over the years, six or seven years of hunting with him, absolutely trashed for that last hunt we did."

Acting Superintendent Mike McIlraith hoped Ross' story would prevent other tragedies.

"Ross was shot by his hunting partner after they had agreed not to load their firearms or hunt as they took separate paths through the bush to an allocated meeting point," McIlraith said.

"A number of factors led to this tragedy, so it's important that hunters remember the safety basics when heading out this season."

That included planning ahead, taking communication devices and a personal locator beacon as well as a first aid kit.

Ross had separated from his hunting partner when he was shot with his story retold in a police re-enactment video. Photo / Supplied

Learning the basics of first aid was also critical as a day's training could make a world of difference, as it did for Ross, McIlraith said.

"Wear high vis – we can't say this enough. You don't want to become a mistaken target out there," he said.

"And that leads to the most important point of all – identify your target beyond all doubt."

"In Ross' words – it's far better to let the animal go than to make a mistake if you're not 100 per cent sure what you're shooting at."