Hunters are being urged to ''buddy up'' and follow safety rules to prevent tragedies this hunting season.
The red deer roar began on Wednesday, and is due to finish on April 20.
The roar is when stags are most vocal, calling to attract the attention of mates and to protect their territory.
The roar lasts about four weeks, stags being the most vocal in the middle two weeks.
The beginning of the roar hunting season has prompted the Mountain Safety Council to ask hunters to ''buddy up and stick in sight of their mates'' this roar season to avoid a repeat of last year's tragedies.
''All three deer-hunting fatalities last year were preventable and were the result of hunters not following one or more of the seven basic rules of firearms safety,'' Mountain Safety Council acting firearms safety programme manager Tracy Wakeford said.
In September, a 30-year-old Rotorua man was shot dead during a hunting expedition in Waikite Valley, south of Rotorua.
A 29-year-old Auckland man was shot dead by another hunter in Aorangi Forest Park, Wairarapa on April 7, and a 26-year-old Waikaka man was fatally shot by his friend while hunting deer with a group of friends on Glenlapa Station - a large, high country station in Northern Southland - on April 29.
''In the majority of fatal hunting accidents, the shooter and the deceased were in the same party and the shooter knew their companion was in the area. These accidents are preventable if hunters observe the firearms safety code,'' Ms Wakeford said.
The Mountain Safety Council and police recommend hunters stay in visual contact with each other when hunting in the same area, stop hunting if visual contact is lost, and re-establish visual contact before continuing to hunt.
''The bottom line is that it's never safe to shoot if you have lost visual contact with your hunting companion. If you can't confirm your companion is out of your firing zone, it isn't safe to shoot,'' Ms Wakeford said.
The red deer roar hunting blocks in the Haast region open from March 31 until April 27.
