Hunter rescued by helicopter after accidentally stabbing himself

Sunday, 7 January 2018

The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter winched the man off a riverbank. (file photo)

A hunter who accidentally stabbed himself while butchering his kill was airlifted to Waikato Hospital on Saturday night.

A Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesperson said the man in his late 30s was hypothermic and unable to move when the crew found him in rough terrain south of Hauturu, near Kawhia.

The rescue helicopter crew used night vision goggles to locate the man, after he activated an emergency locator beacon.

* Injured hunter rescued by helicopter from dense Wairarapa forest**

He'd received a stab wound to his thigh while butchering a deer. He then activated an emergency locator beacon just before 10pm, which the rescue helicopter crew was able to trace using night vision goggles and infrared binoculars.

After receiving medical attention, the hunter was winched off the riverbank and flown to Waikato Hospital.

He was discharged from hospital on Monday morning.

His hypothermia had been caused by lying partially in a river, the spokesperson said.