(Here be rantage…)

I grew up hunting and fishing and have strong opinions about the practices. It’s just part of growing up in rural Kansas. I have a Black Belt in upland bird hunting, especially quail. I’m not anti-gun, either. I have been a life member of the National Rifle Association since the mid-1970s. I am, however, anti-shithead. Especially when they hunt with guns. Shithead fishermen seldom seriously injure one another.

Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter [CNN]
‘Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good’

– Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets. (…)

Katharine Armstrong, the ranch’s owner, said Sunday that Cheney was using a 28-guage [sic --ed.] shotgun and that Whittington was about 30 yards away when he was hit in the cheek, neck and chest.

Hmm, 28GA says a lot. Mr, Cheney likes it ‘sporting,’ so he is using nearly the smallest gauge possible, likely with a full choke (for less shot dispersal and more range).

Each of the hunters was wearing a bright orange vest at the time, Armstrong told reporters at the ranch about 60 miles southwest of Corpus Christi. She said Whittington was “alert and doing fine.”

‘Vice president didn’t see him’ (…)

Each of the hunters was wearing a bright orange vest at the time

Whittington shot a bird and went to retrieve it in the tall grass, while Cheney and the third hunter walked to another spot and discovered a second covey.

Whittington “came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn’t signal them or indicate to them or announce himself,” Armstrong said.

Whittington was BEHIND the firing line, but somehow this incident is painted as his fault, not the VP’s. Sure it would be a good thing to do, but before you fire you are supposed to identify your target, Identify Your Target, IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET!

“The vice president didn’t see him,” she continued. “The covey flushed and the vice president picked out a bird and was following it and shot. [obviously more than 120º off-axis from where he had been facing. --ed.] And by God, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good.” (…)

‘[G]ot peppered pretty good.’ Which is a lot like ‘got shot.’

Armstrong, owner of the Armstrong Ranch where the accident occurred, said Whittington was bleeding after he was shot and Cheney was very apologetic.

“It broke the skin,” she said of the shotgun pellets.

Yeah, I bet it f**king did!

“It knocked him silly. But he was fine.

?!? Knocked silly but fine. He got shot in the face with a shotgun!

He was talking.

And what, pray tell, was he saying — perhaps something rather pointed to the Vice-President?

His eyes were open. It didn’t get in his eyes or anything like that. [So, it wasn't really serious or anything. --ed.] (…)

Armstrong said Cheney is a longtime friend who comes to the ranch to hunt about once a year and is “a very safe sportsman.” [Bullshit. --ed.] She said Whittington is a regular, too, but she thought it was the first time the two men hunted together.

And I’m guessing the last time, as well.

“This is something that happens from time to time. You know, I’ve been peppered pretty well myself,” said Armstrong.

“I’ve been peppered pretty well myself.” Bullshit! You were shot in the face with a shotgun? This isn’t catching some shot-rain from dumb-ass skybustin’ goose hunters. This is in the line of fire shot with (I’m guessing) #5 bird shot. If you or I did something like this back home you might as well hang up your game bag because no one would hunt with you or let you hunt on their land. Words completely fail me. F**king dumb-ass.]

(here endeth the rant…)

Obviously this must be personal as well. I had an Uncle killed in a hunting accident in rural Kansas under very similar circumstances in the late 1950s.

In the continuing effort to give the impression that I read Kevin exclusively, comes this via GitM.

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