UNION TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – While a Wednesday night shooting incident in Branch County’s Union Township is still under investigation, Michigan State Police have pretty much determined it was a hunting accident.

The incident was reported at about 9:20 p.m..

After their initial investigation, troopers at the Marshall Post are now reporting it happened as two friends were trying to thin out varmints near Hodunk Road south of Sullivan Road, and that the shot did not come from a nearby residence.

Troopers say one of the hunters was lying down in a field when the other mistakenly thought he was wildlife and fired a small 22 caliber rifle.

They say the man who was shot was not wearing any orange high visibility clothing. He was airlifted from the scene to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo.

The names of the persons involved have not been released.

Michigan State Police were assisted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, LifeCare Ambulance and the Union City Fire Department.