Careless Cheney

[ravan]

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18142296%255E954,00.html

How in the hell can you be tracking a group of birds with your gun muzzle, and not see someone in the way?? For one, they are above your "horizon". For two, you should bloody well see the guy over the barrel. I just don't get it. I mean, if it was a tree he's see it, right?

From what I understand, hunting accidents are actually rare... if the person has a clue on good safety practices.

Comments

[mdlbear]

"hunting accidents are actually rare... if the person has a clue..."

Oh. Right.

[heethen-crone.livejournal.com]

Hunting accidents are, indeed, rare, considering the ammount of folk out there hunting. The last one that made news in this state was one of those. The victim was wearing heavy camo and using his turkey call, the shooter aimed at the sound, not the visual,and admitted he couldn't see either turkey or human, and shot this poor guy in the head.

OTOH, this is Cheney we're talking about and no one ever accused him of particular intelligence or proper gun use.

[jemyl.livejournal.com]

I have shot Grandpa's shotgun. Birdshot can have a wide pattern. Quail nest on the ground. The birds were being flushed, not flying overhead, so they would be very close to the ground. Cheney would be shooting as he turned toward the direction of the flush and leading the birds somewhat, but not too much. This is what I get from what I heard and read today.

Now, the stupid one was not Cheney. The stupid one was the victim who walked up and stood behind and to the side of Cheney in the direction of the flush, and didn't announce himself. Cheney had no way of knowing he was there. He would be concentrating on the brush and the dogs pointing and flushing the birds. The width of the spray of pellets in birdshot would likely put about half the spray into this guy's face and chest.

This is much like standing to the right and slightly behind Tiger Woods, without saying a thing and being within two feet of him on a tee shot. If one does that, one is going to get clobbered by a golf club. It is like coming up behing Ravan unannounced and touching her shoulder, at least as I remember, which means one gets decked before she even things about it.

Sadly, I don't think Cheney was at fault this time. Only a fool stands anywhere near a hunter unannouced. A bigger fool doesn't assess the situation and stands in the direction of the flush. That is asking to get shot.

I don't like Cheney, not at all. This time, however, I think the fault was not his.