Under the Arms Act, people had to be 100% sure of what they were shooting at say police after a calf was shot.
People with guns are being reminded of their legal obligations after police reported a second animal being shot on private land in four weeks.
On Wednesday, a member of the public reported a calf was shot on a property in Kowhatu Rd, near Waihaorunga, overnight on Saturday.
It followed the discovery
on August 23 by Adventure Horse Trekking NZ Ltd director John Wall that one of his horses had been shot dead in a paddock in Waihaorunga.
Sergeant Kevin Reynolds, of Waimate, said he was not sure if the two shootings were linked, but the possibility would be hard to rule out.
"The roads are linked up. The incidents are on the par and in a similar area. There are people hunting illegally on those back blocks. I can't imagine thinking they'd shoot deliberately a horse and a calf."
