Warning to pause before firing

There will be many shooters out this Easter weekend. Photo/File

Hawke's Bay hunters are being warned to pause before pulling the trigger ahead of a "shockingly" busy Easter weekend, following the latest hunting fatality in Southland.

This year's prime deer hunting season, "the roar", which runs from the end of March until about the end of April, has already seen a run of hunters seriously injured in falls, plus a North Island shooting incident and the Southland fatality.

Father of two Adam David Hill was shot dead through the chest by a member of another hunting party on Sunday morning near Invercargill.

Police are investigating who fired the fatal shot.

The death follows an incident near Opotiki where a 22-year-old Hamilton man was shot by another member of his party with a high-powered rifle. He lay wounded for four hours while his father gave first aid and his brother ran for help.

Rivers to Ranges fishing and hunting store owner Jeremy Hanaray, in Hastings, said this season had been busier than past seasons, as stags and hinds were in good condition with access to good feed from a mild winter.

However, hunting locations would be limited this weekend because many areas were cut off by swollen rivers.

"There's probably going to be a lot of people backing up on top of each other," Mr Hanaray said.

"Be very, very aware ... wear some high-vis clothing.

"If [you] get to a car park and it's chocka-block, try and look for somewhere else to hunt."

He advised hunters against trying to ford the swollen Makahu River but said there was "a lot more scope" for hunting in tracks off the Makahu Rd car park, or off the Kuripapango Lakes car park.

Because the rain had slowed the deers' activity, hunters frustrated at the lack of hunting this season would be all hoping for a chance to get a shot.

"There's been a lot of cancellations, guys have had to can their trips because of the weather ... the helicopters can't fly in it."

Mr Hanaray reminded hunters not to get tempted to poach deer from private properties.

"It is going to be a real busy Easter - it's going to be shockingly busy."

New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association president Tim McCarthy said the latest hunting death was "disappointing".

Hunters were increasingly using the telescopic scope on their rifle to identify targets instead of using traditionally-favoured binoculars, he said.

"That's only a finger movement away from squeezing the trigger.

"The rifle should only be put to your shoulder when you're 100 per cent sure of what you're shooting at."

Some hunters were avoiding heading into the bush over Easter weekend.

"At this time of the year, you've got so many people out in the bush that somebody's going to make a mistake somewhere along the line."

He reminded hunters to wear high-visibility clothing and not to get lost in "buck fever" - a term used to describe a hunter's emotional state when lining up a target.

"They start to get the shakes and get excited and can't control their breathing - it's a real buzz.

"But you've got to be able to keep those feelings under control.

"It's better no meat than no mate."

The Department of Conservation has issued 48,000 hunting permits in the past 12 months for open hunting areas on conservation land, and about 10,600 permits since this year's "roar" season officially began on March 1.