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 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.

Deputies say she was walking in a field when a man, identified by Fox News as Thomas Jadlowski, 34, mistook her for a deer and shot her once with a pistol.

Jadlowski 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.

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.

Billquist's husband took to Facebook on Thanksgiving to express his sadness and thank people for their support.