SHERMAN, New York -- Authorities say a 43-year-old woman has been accidentally shot to death by a hunter while walking her dogs in a rural field in western New York.
The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office says Rosemary Billquist, of Sherman, took her dogs for a walk in her hometown near the Pennsylvania border around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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Deputies say she was walking in a field when a man hunting nearby mistook her for a deer and shot her once with a pistol.
The hunter heard her scream, called 911 and stayed with her until emergency crews arrived. Billquist was taken to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was pronounced dead.
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Officials say the shooting occurred about 40 minutes after sunset, when it's illegal to hunt.
Police say the hunter hasn't been charged. The investigation is continuing.