A DOG stepped on a shotgun left lying on the ground and badly wounded two hunters. The men, in their 50s, were in a party of at least eight who were out shooting geese on farmland in Scotland.

Paramedics confirmed that one was treated for a serious lower leg wound and a hand injury. The second man also had damage to his lower leg.

They were treated at the scene then in hospital. They remained conscious throughout their ordeal, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

The remaining members of the party – in camouflage gear and driving 4WD vehicles – refused to give details about what happened.

Police said the shooting was an accident and that one man had been charged for a contravention of the Firearms Act. They did not reveal if he was one of the injured pair.

“If the shot is heavy enough to go through a goose, you can be sure it will do damage whatever it hits - especially at close range,” a local hunter told the newspaper.

James Marshall, who owns Dalreoch farm in Perthshire, where the shooting happened, said: “The men were local as far as I could gather.”

Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/dog-steps-on-shotgun-left-lying-on-ground-and-wounds-two-hunters-in-perthshire-scotland/story-e6frev00-1225805463776