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Police now say they plan to charge a duck shooter who shot another sportsman in a dispute over maimai territory.
The victim, a 61-year-old Morrinsville man, was hit by pellets in the chest and face and had surgery at Waikato Hospital.
He was discharged a day after Saturday's incident at Patetonga Lagoon, a popular duck-shooting spot near Morrinsville.
Police said the shooting stemmed from an ongoing dispute over maimais but the victim had not provoked the attack.
They had been unable to locate the shooter, a Waikato man, and when he was found yesterday, he refused to speak to police.
Detective Sergeant Rod Carpinter said the man would not talk without a lawyer present so he would be interviewed today.
The detective said investigations since Saturday had indicated the shooting was intentional and police would definitely lay charges. They earlier said they first wanted to hear the shooter's side before deciding.
The charges the man would face had not been decided, but Mr Carpinter said the incident could easily have ended in a death.
He said it was a "miracle" that the victim escaped with only minor injuries, because the shooter had fired at him at least once and from less than 100m, the minimum distance that was permitted between maimais.
* A small South Taranaki community is mourning the loss of a father of three, who died while duck shooting at the weekend.
The body of Blair David Lawrence, of Whenuakura, 50km northwest of Wanganui, was found in the Whenuakura River on Monday by police divers.
A big search was launched after Mr Lawrence failed to return home on Saturday and his upturned quad bike was found in the river the following day.
The 38-year-old farmer leaves a wife and three children aged 7, 5, and 15 months.
- NZPA
