Hunting trip goes wrong after teen shot in back

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy was last night clinging to life after a hunting trip took a horror turn and he was accidentally shot in the back.

The boy was among a group of people on a property at Sofala, north of Bathurst, just before 9am yesterday when a 12-gauge shotgun lying in the back of a ute fired and he was struck. It's understood the ute rolled back and jolted, making the gun fire.

He was driven to meet an ambulance, which then transferred him to a specialist paramedic unit 10km away. The teen was then rushed to Bathurst Airport, where he underwent a blood transfusion and was put in an induced coma.

His anxious family was comforted by police as he was loaded into a NSW Ambulance helicopter and flown 200km to The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

His family made a harrowing 3½-hour journey via road to be by his side.

The boy had a number of pellets removed during surgery and remains in intensive care.