UNION PARISH, La. (KTVE/KARD) -- A Louisiana man was accidentally shot Sunday in Union Parish when he and another man attempted to rescue a hunting dog from a group of feral hogs.

On Sunday, deputies were dispatched to the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge near Marion in reference to a shooting.

Authorities said 39-year-old Tony McKinnie and 33-year-old Cody Ebey were hunting squirrels in the federal wildlife refuge. Both men said that a group of feral hogs began to attack one of their squirrel dogs. When one of the hogs charged McKinnie, Ebey attempted to separate their dog from the group.

McKinnie was then knocked to the ground as the hog struck him in the leg. McKinnie attempted to fire a rifle at the hog while falling. Instead of hitting the hog, the gunshot hit Ebey in the arm. McKinnie then began to assist Ebey and he was transported to a local hospital.

Authorities said the bullet passed through the victim’s arm and then lodged in his leg. Both men said the shooting was accidental and this incident remains under investigation, in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.