LEADWOOD, Mo. (AP) — A 12-year-old eastern Missouri boy is hospitalized after being found in his front yard with a gunshot wound to the head.

The Leadwood Fire Department and St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department were called around 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The parents told authorities that their son was going out to shoot groundhogs or to take target practice. St. Francois County Sgt. Randy Tate says it appears that the gun accidentally discharged as the boy was climbing a fence. He was struck in the forehead.

A deputy at the scene said the child was conscious and talking. He was flown to a St. Louis hospital for treatment.