cross-posted at skippy the bush kangaroo (now with 30% more snark!)
irrespective of the political implications of “dead-eye” dick cheney’s “hunting” fiasco (we put “hunting” in quotes, because there’s no real sport to raising domesticated animals who grow up seeing humans as friends and providers, then releasing them into the wild for the first time in their lives and killing them), there are several questions being brought to bear by real hunters who know about real gun safety.
we quote several after the jump:
reports from the owner of the ranch where the vp was hunting that whittington violated some sort of “texas protocol” requiring hunters to make formal announcement of their comings and goings in the field were a bit misleading. everywhere that upland birds are hunted, the drill is pretty much the same. it makes sense to let other hunters know when you’re moving to the left or right, or that you’re back after visiting a nearby tree, but there’s no requirement to do so. the onus is on everyone who carries a gun not to shoot at anyone else. – field&stream
if vice president dick cheney had followed the protocols taught to 12-year-olds in hunter-education programs, he never would have shot his pal last weekend while quail hunting, according to hunting safety experts…
- 1. treat all guns as loaded.
- 2. don’t point your muzzle at anything you’re not willing to destroy.
- 3. never place your finger near the trigger until you’ve sighted the target.
- 4. be certain of your target and what’s around it — behind it, beside it and under it.
it apparently was item no. 4 that resulted in a problem for cheney. – espn outdoors
members of the club receive safety lessons from james t. dobensky, a retired firefighter who has taught gun safety classes for the state and the national rifle association. controlling the gun’s muzzle is the best way to prevent an accident, and that advice might have prevented the vice president’s accident, dobensky added.
“you always control the direction of the muzzle. if you control the muzzle at all times, there wouldn’t have been accidents,” dobensky said. “i think the vice president should have kept a little closer look on where his hunting companions were at”…
“know your target, what’s beyond the target and what’s next to the target,” he said. “stay in eyesight and in a row. if someone gets up a little, we slow him down and if someone falls behind, we wait for him to come up. – meridian record-journal
cheney’s hunting party broke several basic rules: too many in the hunt party; no dog, or at least not having the dog retrieve a downed bird; hunting from a vehicle. and cheney broke some of the most basic rules: shooting at a low bird and not being aware of the placement of his hunting party members.
one report i read stated that cheney shot whittington at 5:15 p.m. on saturday — way too late to be hunting quail. – charlotte observer
but our favorite is this qualified endorsement from the jackson hole star-tribune:
wyoming gov. dave freudenthal, a democrat, said the accident wouldn’t keep him from going on a bipartisan hunt with cheney.
“i would be proud to hunt with the vice president — cautious, but proud,” he told reporters in cheyenne.
because nothing’s lonelier than a diary with no comments.
My son is a cub scout and started learning how to handle firearms about a year or so ago. In fact, he now goes to some land owned by a family we’re friends with, and he’s learned how to shoot bb guns, small caliber pistols, etc. When he first began, he and I had a little talk about gun safety, and it became apparent in a hurry that the kid knew his stuff – we’re talking about a 8 to 9 year old kid who has more common sense than the VP of the nation.
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Texas Parks and Wildlife: Veep treated as any other hunter
Hunting Accident and Incident Report Form
State: Texas Location: Armstrong Ranch
County-Parish: Kenedy Date: 02-11-2006 Time of Day: 5:30pm
Day of season: _ Description of Injuries: Shotgun wound to right side of face, neck and chest.
Land Ownership: _ Public x Private
● Classification of Accident: x A (An accident resulting from the discharge of a firearm while hunting ...)
● Type of Casualty: _ Fatal x Non-fatal
Report submitted by? _ Shooter x Other Sherrif's Dept.
Were shooter & victim members of same party? x Yes _ No
Number of persons in party [ ]
Relationship of victim(s) to shooter? x Friend _ Relative _ Other
● Was injury or death self-inflicted? _ Yes x No
● Type of firearm x Shotgun
Type of Action: x Hinge
Miscellaneous: Caliber 28 Make: Perazzi Model: Brescia Serial#: 115288
Sights used: x Open
Safety Position: _ On _ Off x Unknown
Ammunition: _ Reload _ Military x Factory
SHOOTER | VICTIM
Richard B. Cheney | Harry M. Whittington
Nr 1 Observatory Circle NW | 3201 Greenlee
Washington DC (DC) 20008 | Austin (TX) 78703
DOB: 01-30-41 Age 65 | DOB: 03-03-27 Age 78
License#: 135360000166 | License#: 640600008232
Under the apparent influence of intoxicants or drugs?
_ Yes x No _ Unknown | _ Yes x No _ Unknown
Hunter Education Certified?
_ Yes _ No x Unknown | _ Yes x No _ Unknown
● Game law violated?
x Yes _ No _ Unknown | x Yes x No x Unknown
If so, what section?
P & W Code 43,682 | P & W Code 43,682
Shooter/Victim involved in hunter related activity?
x Yes _ No _ Unknown | x Yes x No x Unknown
Shooter's/Victim's activity at time of incident?
x Stalking _ Sitting | x Stalking _ Sitting
_ Standing _ Other | _ Standing _ Other
Both shooter and victim wore a blaze orange cap and coat/vest with brown trousers.
Cheney was using No. 7 1/2 shot from a 28-gauge shotgun. Shotgun pellets typically are made of steel or lead; the pellets in No. 7 1/2 shot are just under one-tenth of an inch in diameter.
The pellet that traveled to Whittington’s heart was either touching or embedded in the heart muscle near the top chambers, called the atria, officials said.
● Italian Manufacturer Perazzi near city of Brescia
● The Armstrong Ranch of 50,000 acres
“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
Hunter Education Certified?
_ Yes _ No x Unknown
Shame on you Mr. Cheney.
he’s crazy!
Does anybody know about hunting protocol on the time of day. Sunset in Corpus Christi, Texas was at 6:18 pm last Saturday. Even though it was before sunset, wouldn’t it have been a little too dark for them?
see the charlotte observer quote (and link to the article) in my diary above.
That is, rich old geezers love to hunt quail on ranches. Quail are in trouble in the wild because of habitat loss. Quail are terrestrial birds, hunting and pecking on the ground. They are reluctant to fly, prefer to run away, and when they do fly, they fly low. There’s not much challenge to ‘hunting’ these lovely birds and they are very small for a good meal. (meal spiced with bird shot)
In Washington State last year almost 200,000 quail were bagged by hunters. How long before they become extinct? Not to worry there are organizations like Forever Quail – meaning ‘forever hunting quail’ that pretend to beprotecting the species.
I was sitting on top of a mountain in my city when along a mossy path walked a California quail with the little curly hat. It was a Beatrix Potter moment. The thought of 200,000 killed in one year is devastating.