Drizzt
Member
The Press (Christchurch)
April 23, 2003, Wednesday
SECTION: NEWS; NATIONAL; Pg. 2
LENGTH: 320 words
HEADLINE: Orange clothes 'may cause hunter deaths'
BYLINE: ROSS Tara
BODY:
Forcing hunters to wear bright orange clothing could cause more deaths than the move prevented, the Mountain Safety Council warns.
The New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association has called for hunters to wear blaze orange clothing to prevent more accidental deaths, after three North Island hunters were shot dead in the last three weeks.
But Mountain Safety Council firearm safety manager Bob Badland said blaze orange could, in fact, put hunters at more risk of being shot. "The last victim was wearing a blaze orange cap. That blows away the theory that wearing these colours might make you bulletproof," he said.
"In these last two (deaths), the bright colour may have been the cause."
Bright orange was the same colour as sikha, or red deer, in the bush, and should not be worn. A more suitable safety colour would be fluorescent blue, Mr Badland said.
On Sunday, Taupo man Mark Leathwick, 47, was accidentally shot dead by another hunter in the mountains in the central North Island. He had been wearing a blaze orange cap and vest, but the vest was covered by another garment.
Earlier in the month, Hamish Harland, 26, was killed in the Tongariro National Park. He had also been wearing orange clothing for safety, but had put a jumper on over the top, before he was shot by a fellow deer hunter.
Deerstalkers' Association president Trevor Dyke said the association would still push for more use of high- visibility clothing -- but "what we don't know is whether blaze orange is the suitable colour". Blaze orange safety gear was compulsory for hunters in the United States, but even there half of all hunters shot were wearing blaze orange, he said.
Mr Dyke warned hunters to take extra care to positively identify their target and not shoot at colour, sound, shape, or movement.
Mr Badland said prosecuting the hunters responsible for the latest deaths would help reinforce that message.
April 23, 2003, Wednesday
SECTION: NEWS; NATIONAL; Pg. 2
LENGTH: 320 words
HEADLINE: Orange clothes 'may cause hunter deaths'
BYLINE: ROSS Tara
BODY:
Forcing hunters to wear bright orange clothing could cause more deaths than the move prevented, the Mountain Safety Council warns.
The New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association has called for hunters to wear blaze orange clothing to prevent more accidental deaths, after three North Island hunters were shot dead in the last three weeks.
But Mountain Safety Council firearm safety manager Bob Badland said blaze orange could, in fact, put hunters at more risk of being shot. "The last victim was wearing a blaze orange cap. That blows away the theory that wearing these colours might make you bulletproof," he said.
"In these last two (deaths), the bright colour may have been the cause."
Bright orange was the same colour as sikha, or red deer, in the bush, and should not be worn. A more suitable safety colour would be fluorescent blue, Mr Badland said.
On Sunday, Taupo man Mark Leathwick, 47, was accidentally shot dead by another hunter in the mountains in the central North Island. He had been wearing a blaze orange cap and vest, but the vest was covered by another garment.
Earlier in the month, Hamish Harland, 26, was killed in the Tongariro National Park. He had also been wearing orange clothing for safety, but had put a jumper on over the top, before he was shot by a fellow deer hunter.
Deerstalkers' Association president Trevor Dyke said the association would still push for more use of high- visibility clothing -- but "what we don't know is whether blaze orange is the suitable colour". Blaze orange safety gear was compulsory for hunters in the United States, but even there half of all hunters shot were wearing blaze orange, he said.
Mr Dyke warned hunters to take extra care to positively identify their target and not shoot at colour, sound, shape, or movement.
Mr Badland said prosecuting the hunters responsible for the latest deaths would help reinforce that message.