Michelle Basch, wtop.com

POOLESVILLE, Md. – A man’s hunting trip in Montgomery County Tuesday ended with a call for help from the woods.

Maryland Natural Resources Police say a 45-year-old man was bow hunting deer in the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville when he shot himself in the leg.

But Sergeant Brian Albert, with the NRP, says the man didn’t shoot himself with an arrow. He shot himself with a bullet from a pistol he was carrying.

Albert says carrying a gun during deer bow hunting season is illegal for hunters. And the injured man will probably be charged for that.

The NRP is still investigating exactly how the shooting happened.

Montgomery County Police say the man called them for help around 12:20 p.m.

Police say the man began shooting into the air, apparently to try to help officers locate him in the woods.

Officers had to tell him to stop firing.

The hunter was located just before 1 p.m. and flown by helicopter to a hospital.

The man needed surgery, but his injuries are not considered life threatening.

Here’s a link to the park where the man was hunting:

Follow @mbaschwtop and @WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)