A shooting in Tamaqua Tuesday left two teens in critical condition at Lehigh Valley area hospitals, victims of an apparent hunting trip gone wrong.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, Tamaqua Police were dispatched to the south (Sharp) Mountain area behind the Tamaqua Area Senior High School for a gunshot victim.Patrolmen Thomas Rodgers and Brigdon Odhner arrived at the location given by the Schuylkill County Communications Center, the intersection of Coal Street and Anthracite Avenue, were then told it was a hunting accident and began searching the heavily wooded area. They were assisted by Tamaqua Community Ambulance and Lehighton Ambulance personnel.The victimsAfter searching for several minutes, yelling for the victims, the officers were updated that the area of the incident was at Green Street and Anthracite Avenue, two blocks east of where they were searching. By this time, Cpl. Henry Woods, Pennsylvania State Police, police officers from West Penn and Rush Townships, as well as Tamaqua Fire Police and fire department personnel had all arrived to help in the search.Within minutes, despite the heavy brush, uneven ground and darkness, the victims were located on the second level of the four terraces created by a major abandoned mine reclamation project more than 10 years ago.The 14-year-old girl had a gunshot wound to her left knee, and the 15-year-old male had a gunshot wound under the right side of his rib cage. It appeared as though both wounds had been caused by one bullet. Both teens were bleeding heavily and received immediate treatment from EMS personnel.Due to the wooded, rugged terrain, the teens had to be carried from the mountain side in Stokes baskets.They were then transported to helicopter landing zones set up on school district property. The male was airlifted to St. Luke's University Hospital-Bethlehem Campus in a PennStar helicopter, while the girl was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest by Medevac.Both teens were conscious and able to speak to police.Their conditions were updated to stable this morning, according to hospital spokesmen.The hunterAlso at the scene was the man who shot them, Anthony Pascoe, 52, of 230 Green St., Tamaqua. Pascoe told officers he had been hunting in the woods and was on his way home, walking on a path parallel to Anthracite Avenue. He stopped at the path at the top of Green Street and turned toward the mountain to empty his rifle. He had the muzzle slightly elevated. When he attempted to unload the rifle, it went off, sending one .270 caliber round into the trees.He was unaware of the two teens, who were above his position, until the girl began screaming that she had been shot. He went to them and used her cellphone to call 911.The Pennsylvania Game Commission was notified and sent a deputy to the scene.Pascoe told the deputy he wasn't hunting and had just been in the woods to sight his rifle.Pascoe was wearing an orange and tan hunting vest, with a hunting license displayed on the back. The license was outdated. Also in his possession were two ammo magazines (one with three rounds, the other with four bullets) the empty shell casings from the rounds he fired while unloading his rifle, and two knives.The incident is being investigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Law Enforcement Division, and charges are expected to be filed.Police and officials from the game commission were at the scene, continuing the investigation, as of press time.