'I owe my life to Winston'

An elderly hunter who was shot in the chest says he would not have survived without the quick-thinking mate wrongly blamed for the incident.

Nigel Ross, 69, spoke of his ordeal from his bed in Waikato Hospital's intensive care unit on Friday, with wife Janet by his side.

Ross and his lifelong hunting partner, named only as Winston, were leaving Lake Taupo Forest, 25km southeast of the resort town, when he was shot late on Wednesday evening.

"We were walking to our vehicle, walking along the forest park boundary. We had torches and I had a head lamp to find our way to the vehicle," he said. "Two shots were fired. One hit the gravel beside me and the other shot caught me in the shoulder."

He suffered a fractured shoulder, collapsed lung and internal injuries.

Winston enlisted a group of people to help get Ross into the back of their ute.

"Winston was on the cellphone getting the ambulance to meet us at the end of the road where we would exit the forest. All thanks to Winston for getting that organised," Ross said: "I was bleeding heavily. I was lying in the back of the ute being bounced along for I don't know how long."

Ross was rushed to Taupo Hospital's emergency department.

"They did a marvellous job to stabilise me...we were running short of time. They simultaneously mobilised the helicopter to whisk me through to Waikato Hospital for them to go to work on me and save my life, I'm pleased to say."

Police said a local man hunting in the area with a companion had been identified as the shooter. He is co-operating with police but no charges have been laid.

Ross said the bullet that hit him remained lodged in his body. He will undergo further surgery to remove it.

"I was very, very lucky... (the bullet) missed all my vital organs and nerves. It was not a nice thing to happen, but it could have been a lot worse."

He said he owed his life to Winston and was upset by initial reports blaming his mate.

"There's no question. I owe my life to Winston. I will be eternally grateful to that man."

Ross remained in intensive care yesterday in a stable condition.