Locals in the Western Downs region were surprised to hear a 35-year-old dog handler was taken to hospital in a serious condition after he was pulled from his ute by his dogs while on a hunting trip.

One woman said it was rare to hear of an incident similar to the dog handler's debacle in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"It's a pretty quiet area and the last time we had anything happened here was a car chase from Toowoomba but that was months ago," she said.

"I haven't heard of a hunting accident since I moved here not long ago."

The woman said The Gums was known to be a hot spot for hunters to kill wild boars in the area because there were so many of them.