I'm going to expose my total ignorance about hunting and ammo...
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?
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?
My understanding from the slanted media was the shot went up towards the bird but somehow the guy got sprayed with part of the pattern only because he wasn't where he should have been plus not informing the others where he was ... but don't expect the media to pick up on that ....
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.