How Did Dick Cheney Break the No.1 Rule of Hunting?

Time Magazine ^ | 02/13/2006 | Timothy Burger

[lugsoul]

Bingo. And, contrary to those who want this to be about 'bashing the President', this is about sending the right message about firearms safety in the most publicized hunting accident story in quite a while. And the right message does not come from blaming the guy who was accidentally shot.

[dirtboy]

Unless you are hunting a treeless prairie, it is impossible to see many ground objects when aiming at a flying object. Hills, gullys, trees all come into a general view.

Uh, I am not talking about worrying about a house a half-mile away when I am shooting 8-shot.

HOWEVER, if you are shooting into a line of trees, and am not sure if there are houses just behind the line, that is negligent.

Whittington announced he was leaving the "line". Upon his return, from the rear, he made no such announcement.

See post #101. The other hunters should not have progressed to get the next covey until Whittington came back to the line.

[G.Mason]

"Whittington failed to follow safe protocol in upland bird hunting."

There are more than a few of us that understand this.

The fact is, there are also many who haven't a clue of what they are talking about.

Par for the course. ;)

[dirtboy]

I tell you what, after some of the responses I've seen on this subject, this might be a good time to make an inventory of "freepers I would never go hunting with".

[G.Mason]

have it your way

[aligncare]

I'm sure all the sporting hunters over at Time Magazine would never break the 'cardinal rule of hunting'. No never. Especially on all their forays into New York City's Central Park for the excellent pigeon hunting.

[lugsoul]

I've hunted plenty, more waterfowl than upland birds but an occasional upland hunt. Which is why I know that you don't blame the guy you shot for your own failure to know your field of fire. Those who are blaming Whittington are the ones who don't know jack, and are sending a very WRONG message about hunting and gun safety.

[Blzbba]

"No, the first rule of hunting is to make sure you won't hit something other than what you are aiming at. Even if you have a moron in range, it is your responsibility to make sure you don't hit them - especially when they are wearing orange."



Agreed. Why are excuses being made because it's Cheney? Remember - guns don't kill/injure people. People do. In this case, the person is Cheney who is responsible.

[JillValentine]

From King of the Hill:

"I didn't know it was loaded" is not an acceptable excuse. "I wasn't there" or "I never met those people" are better excuses.

[dirtboy]

When a hunter shoots at a bird, why doesn't the birdshot all go towards the target? Is it supposed to "spray" out in all directions? Why?

You want the shot to spread out in a pattern to increase your chances of hitting a bird on the wing. The amount of spread related to the choke. Some chokes are meant for close-in hunting and the pattern widens quickly. Conversely, if you are hunting geese, you would want a tighter choke so the shot doesn't spread out as fast, since you are typically shooting at a bird further away.

Was the bird that Cheney was shooting at only 5-6 feet up in the air? How far out does the birdshot spray and is it smaller than a BB?

Quail tend to stay closer to the ground, as opposed to doves which will try to rise up higher.

[pepperhead]

The owner of the property said that Whittington was heading out to join up with the hunting party (so wasn't "with" the hunting party). She also said he was hit from a range of about 30 yards. In tall grass and brush that's quite a ways to be seen and heard.

We don't need any statements from people that were there. It is far more fun to just make stuff up.(/sarcasm)

[Blzbba]

"Of course as a shooter you need to always be aware of what's around you, so perhaps this is no excuse."


No 'perhaps' about it. There's no excuse for discharging your weapon without first knowing where your hunting party is. As us "conservatives" have preached on this site for years, the gun isn't responsible - the person holding the gun is.

In this case, it's Cheney who is responsible. He should've known where Whittington was at all times.

[MineralMan]

"I tell you what, after some of the responses I've seen on this subject, this might be a good time to make an inventory of "freepers I would never go hunting with"."

---

I think I agree. I've hunted with only a few people. My dad and brother, plus a few friends. Like my father, I'm an absolute stickler for safety on the hunt. Screw up while hunting with me, and I won't hunt with you again...ever.

I'm not the world's best shot, although I do just fine, but I'm very, very good at locating game. When I hunt, I bring back what I'm hunting for. So I'm a fairly popular hunting companion.

Seems like several folks in this thread have been "dusted" or have "dusted" someone. No thanks.

That said, the brouhaha over Cheney's accident is way overdrawn. It was an accident. Nobody died. I hope everyone learned a lesson from it.

[pepperhead]

That was way to logical.

[Blzbba]

"I'm sorry, but the vast majority of hunting accideents don't just happen."



Amen.

Triggers are NOT SQUEEZED ACCIDENTALLY.

[lugsoul]

"It was an accident. Nobody died. I hope everyone learned a lesson from it."

As long as folks hold the person who pulled the trigger blameless, the wrong lesson will be learned from it.

[bert]

.....Even if you have a moron in range.....

Hadn't heard that. The shootee was a mormon?

[joesnuffy]

VP Cheney went out shooting with some friends the other day

Too many cooks spoil the broth and the hunt...

Too many secret service agents and other strap hangers cluttering up the hunting site...too many people to keep track of and too much distraction for something so potentially dangerous...

[dirtboy]

How far out does the birdshot spray and is it smaller than a BB?

8 shot tends to get attenuated by air resistance fairly quickly - the victim was about 30 yards away and it penetrated his skin. The biggest danger at that range would have been if it hit an eye or caught too much in the neck where it could have impacted an artery or vein.

Now, if he had been hit by goose load (2 shot) at that range, he would have been much more seriously injured.

8 shot (doves and quail) is smaller than a BB (8 shot is smaller than 4 shot (duck and pheasants), etc.). But there is a lot of 8 shot even in a 28 gauge shotshell.

[MineralMan]

"As long as folks hold the person who pulled the trigger blameless, the wrong lesson will be learned from it."

Well, yes. The shooter is responsible for his shot...always.

I don't know what the rule is in that area, but turning to take a bird that flies behind you is always forbidden on any hunt I've ever been on. It's just too dangerous. First, your line of fire has to pass over the hunter on one side of you as you turn. Second, you have not been following what is going on behind you, so someone may have approached without your knowledge. Third, you'd miss anyhow, since that's just not a natural shot.

Normally, in a line of, say, three hunters, each hunter has a virtual cone in which he may fire. The angle formed by that cone is a matter of discussion among the members of the party, but, in general it's about 60 degrees. That encompasses a full 180 degrees. The side shooters take birds on their sides and the center shooter takes birds in front. The cones overlap a bit, especially for the center shooter. By sticking to this 60 degree cone of fire, you never run the risk of swinging too far toward another hunter, who may have stepped slightly forward.

It's all safety, along with giving all members of the party a good chance to take game.