Hunting buddy saved my life – shot man

A 69-year-old man shot returning from a deer hunting trip says his companion saved his life and was not responsible for the shooting - contrary to news media reports.

Nigel Ross was leaving Lake Taupo Forest, 25km southeast of Taupo, about 10.20pm on Wednesday when he was hit.

Constable Gavin Mackay, of Taupo police, said Mr Ross had been shot by a local man who was deer hunting with an associate in the same area.

The shooter was fully cooperating with police, he said.

A decision about what charged would be laid would be made once investigations concluded, Mr Mackay said.

Mr Ross said he and his life-long hunting partner, named only as Winston, were returning to their vehicle, along the forest park boundary using torches and a head lamp, when they were shot at.

"Two shots were fired, one hit the gravel beside me, the other shot caught me in the shoulder," he said in a statement given from his bed in Waikato Hospital's intensive care unit.

Winston, acted quickly to mobilise a nearby group, commandeering their ute to transport him out of the forest to where they could get cell phone coverage, Mr Ross said.

"So all thanks to Winston (for getting) that organised. I was bleeding heavily and was lying in the back of a ute getting bounced around, I don't know for how long."

They called an ambulance and met it en route to Taupo Hospital where Mr Ross was stabilised before being flown to Waikato Hospital for surgery.

He was wounded in the right shoulder and chest and has since been told if the wound had been on the left hand side he would have died.

"I was very, very lucky because the passage of the bullet, which was still in my body, missed all the vital organs and all the nerves.

"So it's not a nice thing to have, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse."

Mr Ross and his wife Janet decided to release the statement after seeing reports which implied Winston had done the shooting and could face charges.

A Waikato Hospital spokesperson said seeing such accusations in the news had been very distressing for the family.

"I owe my life to Winston, there's no question," Mr Ross said.

"I will be eternally grateful to that man. The fact that he kept his cool and organised the sequence of events to get me out of that situation."

Mr Ross remained in intensive care but his status has been downgraded from critical to stable and he could be moved to the high dependency unit shortly, the spokesperson said.

Mr Ross suffered a fractured shoulder, collapsed lung and internal injuries, police said.

- NZPA