A 16-year-old boy was shot in the face in a night-hunting incident near the community of Pulp River, Man., Friday night.

The teen was out checking a spot to lay beaver traps and was on the ground in brush when he was shot, said Wilmer Malcolm, an RM councillor for nearby Pine River.

RCMP say a 67-year-old man from Duck Bay, Man., was hunting beaver when he fired toward the ground into the brush.

RCMP and STARS Air Ambulance were called to the scene on Higway 271, about 320 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, just after 7:30 p.m.

The teen was taken to hospital in Winnipeg via lifeflight with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said it appears neither the victim nor the hunter were aware of the other's presence. RCMP charged the 67-year-old with careless use of a firearm.

Malcolm received a call from the boy's father asking him to come to the family's house, because of his experience with the fire department.

He said the boy appeared to be weak and had lost a lot of blood. He said the bullet went in his left cheek and came out the right side of his neck.

The man who allegedly shot the boy brought him to his parents' house and was in the back of a police cruiser when Malcolm arrived, he said.

Tensions in the community are high after the incident, Malcolm said.

"Everybody's upset. Really upset ... It's not a good situation at all."

Sunset in Dauphin, Man. was 6:50 p.m. on Saturday.

Malcolm wants to see more enforcement in the area by RCMP and conservation officials.

Debbie Soloway, who serves on an urban development committee for the Rural Municipality of Mountain, didn't mince words about the incident.

"I am pissed off, to put it bluntly," she said.

Although incidents like this are rare, Soloway said she often sees lights from hunters while working in farm fields.

"It's absolutely pathetic what can go on out here, and I'm not surprised that this has happened," she said. Soloway said the last time she remembers hearing about an incident like this she was 16 years old herself, and a girl was shot while riding a horse.

RCMP say the investigation is ongoing.