A 15-year-old boy is in a critical but stable condition after he was shot in the back while hunting on a remote property north of Bathurst.

NSW Police have not confirmed multiple reports that the shotgun accidentally discharged after being left on the back of a ute.

The teenager was taken by helicopter from Sofala near Bathurst to Westmead Children's Hospital. Credit:Seven News

A police spokesman said there are a "number of scenarios" that police are investigating, but that at this stage it appears to have been an accidental discharge.

Emergency services were called to Ilford Road, Sofala, in NSW's western region, at about 9.30am on Sunday after reports that a boy had been shot.