U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a hunting companion Saturday during a quail hunting trip on a ranch in south Texas.

Cheney's shotgun pellets struck Texas millionaire lawyer Harry Whittington, 78, in the cheek, neck and chest on the right side of his body.

Cheney, Whittington and another hunter were shooting at a covey of quail when Whittington left the group to look for his kill in the tall grass.

The vice-president moved on to another flock of quail and was following a bird when Whittington entered into his path from behind. Armstrong said Whittington failed to signal to the group that he was present and was shot by Cheney.

"The vice-president didn't see him," Katharine Armstrong, who owns the ranch and was with the group, told The Associated Press Sunday.

"The covey flushed and the vice-president picked out a bird and was following it and shot. And by god, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good."

Whittington received medical attention from Cheney's emergency personnel before the ambulance arrived, Armstrong said.

Whittington has no plans to comment on the incident out of respect for Cheney, AP reported. 

Cheney was very apologetic after he realized what had happened, Armstrong said. She said he visits her ranch about once a year and is always "a very safe sportsman."

She dismissed the shooting as something that's just part of the hobby.

"This is something that happens from time to time," Armstrong told AP. "I've been peppered pretty well myself."

Cheney's office waited nearly 24 hours to alert the media of the accident.

The vice-president's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said Cheney visited the hospital where Whittington was recovering on Sunday.

Cheney is a dedicated hunter who makes annual trips to South Dakota and Arkansas to hunt pheasants and ducks.

With files from Associated Press