Hunters shocked over Thurgoona teen's death

The editor of the Victorian Deer Hunter Magazine, Gary Rodgers, had featured articles by Nick Welch, 19, in his publication.

“He was a very accomplished hunter for a young age,” Mr Rodgers said.

“He was just a really down-to-earth guy, he just loved his hunting and being in the outdoors.”

Mr Rodgers said the shooting had sent shock waves through the tight-knit hunting community.

“The deer hunting community is all very upset by it,” Mr Rodgers said.

“We’re all a bit gutted by it and devastated by it.

“He was a good kid, you wouldn’t want to wish this on anyone.”

Gippsland-based Mr Rodgers said he talked regularly with Nick on the phone or through Facebook and they had planned to hunt together soon.

He said Nick came from a family which “loves their hunting”.

Mr Rodgers said he had never heard of a case of mistaken identity similar to Monday’s incident.

“I’m not saying it’s never happened before, but not for a long, long time — it’s very rare,” Mr Rodgers said.

The author of Secrets of the Sambar One and Two and family friend Errol Mason said it was “a tragic accident.”

He had spoken to Mr Welch only two weeks ago and said he had been “impassioned with life and hunting.”

“It’s a devastating loss for the family, it’s an absolute tragedy,” Mr Mason said.

Mr Mason said a DVD was being produced for hunters under the banner “Be safe, be seen”, and was aimed at increasing awareness of blaze orange gear and its importance when hunting in scrub.

The push was sparked by a similar incident in 2003 when a hunter accidentally shot dead his friend’s father near Dargo.

Mr Mason used to lead hunts and said he would not take hunters out without wearing a piece of clothing in the fluoro colour.

“The minimum is a blaze orange hat, it’s a special colour in the light spectrum and it actually gets brighter as the light diminishes,” he said.

“Some people don’t want to wear it because they think the animal can see them but deer do not see in full colour.”