A man who illegally hunted a stag was told he could hunt on a property in that area, but not that one, his lawyer says.
"My instructions are the defendant did have express permission to be on a property up there but not that one - obviously he took the liberty too far," defence lawyer Anna Brosnahan said.
Peter Raymond Rendell was on a rural property to hunt, though he did not know the owner of the property and did not have permission to be there.
The location of the property was not disclosed in court.
After "locating a suitable animal", Rendell fired one shot, killing the deer, police prosecutor Sergeant Stephen Butler said on Tuesday in the Whanganui District Court.