Dick Cheney (file photo)

A fellow hunter who was accidentally shot and wounded by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is recovering in stable condition.

A hospital spokesman in Corpus Christi, Texas said 78-year-old attorney Harry Whittington is alert and doing well. The spokesman said Whittington will undergo more tests Monday, and it is not yet clear when he will be released from the hospital.

The accident happened Saturday while he and the vice president were hunting quail in southern Texas. A witness to the shooting, Katharine Armstrong, said Cheney fired a shotgun at a flying bird without realizing his companion was in the line of fire.

Whittington was hit with shotgun pellets in his right cheek, neck and chest

Cheney visited Whittington in the hospital Sunday before returning to Washington.

The vice president is an avid hunter.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.