(Ripley County, Ind.) – An obstructed gun barrel is being cited as the likely culprit of a hunting injury suffered by an Osgood man.

Andrew Huntington, 23, was hunting with a friend in a wooded area in Ripley County near County Road 100 East south of State Road 48 around 5:30 Sunday evening.

When Huntington’s friend fired, the barrel of the gun exploded and hit him in the upper right thigh.

An ambulance took Huntington to Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville to be treated for the wound which Indiana Conservation Officers called non-life threatening. He was later transferred to University Hospital in Cincinnati.

“An obstructed firearm barrel is being investigated as a possible contributing factor” said ICO Steve Miller said.

The incident remains under investigation. Ripley County Sheriff’s Department and Rescue 69 EMS assisted conservation officers at the scene.

Conservation officers would like to remind hunters that it takes very little debris of any kind in a firearm barrel to cause it to fail.  A small amount of snow in the end of a barrel can cause it to explode when fired.

Before attempting to clear any barrel obstruction make sure the firearm is completely unloaded and proper cleaning tools are used.