Police from Mudgee are appealing for information after emergency services were called around 7.30pm on Wednesday, after the boy was shot. 

The 14-year-old boy was treated for the gunshot wound at his home in Denison Street, Mudgee.

He was taken to the Mudgee Hospital and later conveyed to Orange Health Service by helicopter.

Police were told the boy had been accidentally shot while hunting rabbits with a friend.

The boy is in Orange hospital in a stable condition.

A number of items were seized for further examination from the Denison Street home, including an unregistered firearm and ammunition.

Police from Mudgee Local Area Command have urged anyone with information to come forward; in particular anyone who heard a gunshot in the vicinity of Denison Street, Mudgee, near the intersection of Headley Place.

Detective Inspector Cameron Whiteside is reminding residents “firearms can be deadly”.

“All ages should be extra cautious, especially in rural areas, and children should always be supervised by a licensed adult,” he said.

“Guns are called lethal weapons for a reason.”

The shooting comes just a week before the start of the first national gun amnesty, since the Port Arthur massacre 21 years ago, on July 1.