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The Bay of Plenty coroner is calling for tougher laws to make sure hunters who shoot others are more accountable.
Dr Wallace Bain has recommended the Law Commission investigate new charges for hunting deaths which would mean juries will not be left to decide whether someone is "careless".
He made the call in his finding into the death of Taupo man William Stanley Gillies, who was shot and killed by his hunting companion, Michael Bernard Lee, in the Pureora Forest in April 2005.
Mr Gillies was shot in the head and Mr Lee, charged with careless use of a firearm causing death, was acquitted by a Rotorua District Court jury. He argued his hunting mate did not stick to their usual plan and somehow got between him and a deer he had in his sights.
In his written finding, released yesterday, Dr Bain found Mr Lee's explanation "simply cannot stand".
He said Mr Lee experienced a degree of "buck fever" at the time he fired which clouded his judgment. He did not identify his target, breaching safe hunting practice.
He said current charges under the Arms Act of careless use of a firearm causing death were not appropriate and the offending should carry "strict liability". That would mean the prosecution only had to prove what happened and the person charged would have to prove there was no fault on his part.
Dr Bain said the rules, especially that hunters identify their target and check their firing zone, were well known.
