AUBURN - A 48-year-old Manchester man, Mark Maniscalchi, is recovering after being accidentally shot by a 10-year-old while deer hunting, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials.

Maniscalchi was hunting in the Dearborn Road area Saturday morning when he was hit in the forearm with a .22-caliber bullet.

Officials said he was sitting in a ground blind with two young boys, when a 10 year-old boy carrying a .22 caliber handgun inadvertently discharged the firearm inside the blind.

Maniscalchi was able to walk himself out of the woods and drove to the Elliot Hospital in Manchester for treatment and evaluation. After being treated for his wound, Maniscalchi was released from the hospital later in the day.

Following a call from the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, personnel from the Auburn Police Department and Fish and Game Conservation Officers responded to the hospital and to the scene of the shooting to investigate the incident.

Conservation officers worked through the morning and into the afternoon and were able to identify the specific locations of the shooter and victim, and secured all necessary evidence and information.

Fish and Game officials urge people to practice caution and safety when handling firearms.