A man has been shot by his dog while on a hunting trip in the United States.
James Harris, 37, was shot in the leg after one of his hunting dogs stepped on his gun. He had put the shotgun on the ground in order to retrieve a pheasant that had just been shot.
Up to 120 birdshot pellets hit him in the left calf at short range, according to authorities in Iowa. A local official said the injury was not life-threatening, but would "give him trouble for a long time".
Alan Foster, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said it was not uncommon for hunters to be shot by their dogs.
He said: "I hear about it a couple times a year. "They'll step on the trigger assembly and, if the gun for whatever reason wasn't on safety, it doesn't take a whole lot to trip a trigger."
Mr Harris was treated at Grinnell Regional Medical Centre and later transported by helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, following the accident in Poweshiek County.
An investigation into the accident is under way.
James Harris, 37, was shot in the leg after one of his hunting dogs stepped on his gun. He had put the shotgun on the ground in order to retrieve a pheasant that had just been shot.
Up to 120 birdshot pellets hit him in the left calf at short range, according to authorities in Iowa. A local official said the injury was not life-threatening, but would "give him trouble for a long time".
Alan Foster, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said it was not uncommon for hunters to be shot by their dogs.
He said: "I hear about it a couple times a year. "They'll step on the trigger assembly and, if the gun for whatever reason wasn't on safety, it doesn't take a whole lot to trip a trigger."
Mr Harris was treated at Grinnell Regional Medical Centre and later transported by helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, following the accident in Poweshiek County.
An investigation into the accident is under way.
