The father of a Pennsylvania hunter who was fatally shot by his wife in central Newfoundland last month does not believe it was an accident.

Mark Harshbarger and his wife Mary Beth were on a bear hunting trip near Buchans Junction, about 70 kilometres west of Grand Falls-Windsor, when he was killed Sept. 14

RCMP in central Newfoundland opened an investigation immediately.

Leonard Harshbarger, 73, fears that his daughter-in-law might have shot his son deliberately.

"I cannot ever accept the fact that it was a hunting accident.… There was a lot more to it than that," Harshbarger told CBC News.

Harshbarger said it doesn't make sense to him that his daughter-in-law could have mistaken her husband for a bear, even though it was getting dark and he was not wearing reflective clothing.

Harshbarger said his daughter-in-law was an experienced hunter who used a scope that worked in poor light. As well, he said that his son, at more than six feet tall, should have been visible above the brush.

He said that in May, Mary Beth had Mark increase his life insurance substantially.

Harshbarger has contacted a lawyer and authorities in Pennsylvania with his concerns, and also passed along some stories from his son's friends.

"They believed that Mark feared for his life, that he had confidentially told them some day she probably would shoot him," Harshbarger said.

Mary Beth Harshbarger said she is too distraught to do a formal interview yet, but told CBC News that she loved her husband deeply and said the matter was an accident.

She said she is still devastated by the shooting, and said she feels that what her father-in-law is saying is slander.

The RCMP said the matter remains under investigation.