Setting the record straight on hunting accidents

I listened to the news with great interest this weekend and I just want to set the record straight for all of you non-hunters out there. Despite the excuse I heard given over the weekend, the ultimate responsibility when shooting a firearm rests with the individual pulling the trigger. Accidents happen, and I am in no way suggesting that the incident this weekend involving Dick Cheney was anything other than just that. However, CNN (for one) almost made it sound like it was the other guys fault for not “announcing his return.” Ok, fine, while it is proper etiquette to do just that . to inform the other hunters in your party that you have rejoined them . it is the responsibility of the person actually firing the weapon to make sure of his target and what’s beyond. Period. Not that I think that anyone in this administration would try to spin this in some way to shift the blame elsewhere and not take responsibility for their actions . no . that would never ever happen. Now, to be clear, I have not heard the Vice President himself say anything of this nature . but I have most certainly heard it stated on CNN.Also, if you're not sure where each member of your hunting party happens to be at any given moment...you don't pull the trigger. At least that is how I was taught firearm/hunter safety.Any other hunters out there surprised by the "excuse" given for the accident?Place this (if worthy): "In the News" I guess.Edited to fix title typoThis message has been edited by FliesOnly, 02-13-2006 01:03 PM

Hi Holmes:Well, speaking for myself...if I ever returned "peppered" with shot, it would probably be the last time I'd hunt with that individual. I have never even come close to being hit by members of my own party (although once I was nearly hit by some people who were trespassing... it too was an accident...they did not shoot at me on purpose...they simple did not know I was on the opposite side of a relatively thick, brushy area...nor did I know that they were on the other side).And while, like I said...accidents do happen, this one would have been completely avoided if proper hunter safety rules had been followed.

I asked my brother (a die hard Republican...that seems to be coming around ) if he had heard about the incident...asking him if he had heard that: "Cheney had shot a man quail hunting"...my brother paused for a second (we were talking on the phone)...and said "Dick Cheney shot Dan Quayle?". We both had a good laugh at that one...once I explained again what had actually happened.

Not to be picky, but is nonsense. First, it's not really correct to call it an instinctive reaction. You don't just pull up and shoot...you have to "lead" the bird, so there was plenty of time to realize that not all hunters were accounted for. Second, there most certainly was an indication of someone in the area...he was obviously standing right there or he would not have been shot.I have hunted a lot of different game birds ( and that includes woodcock! Ya ever try to hit one of them things? It's like trying to hit a microscopic flying corkscrew), including quail, and have yet to shoot, or be shot by, anyone. Maybe down there in good ole Texas, this is a relatively common event, but up here in the North, we frown on shooting members of our own hunting party. Hell, we even frown on shooting members of other, rival, hunting parties .

Ya know, I started this thread to point out a "few" errors in the story given to explain the shooting. The "he didn’t announce his return" nonsense is just that. Listen Murphy, I'm not sure why you are so upset with jar and his assessment of what Cheney did wrong. Honestly, I can't understand it. It's really quite simple in my book. I hunt a lot of different game animals... and one thing I never do is fire my weapon if I do not know where each and every member of my party is located. Why is that so difficult for you to understand? I have passed up numerous shots because I was not sure of what lay beyond my target, or if someone I was hunting with was not with us, or if I felt that taking the shot might be dangerous (weird angle, low target, etc).Here’s something else to consider. The hunting party KNEW that Mr. Whittington had dropped back to recover a downed bird. There's absolutely no way Cheney, or anyone else in the group, should have pulled the trigger till they knew where the hell he was. Think about it...Cheney most certainly should have known that Mr. Whittington was behind him...that's where the friggen left him. Why then, did he follow the bird and shot in that direction? So, as jar has pointed out, Mr. Cheney broke a number of "rules" that resulted in this accident.As far as I know, no one here is claiming that Cheney shot him on purpose...we're just saying that if Cheney had followed some basic rules of proper hunting, this whole mess would have been avoided.And I won’t even mention that alcohol, stuff. Wait . yes I will. You never mix the two . never. I have never had a drink on the same day that I was going to hunting. No one I have hunted with has ever (at least not in my presence or that I was made aware of) had a drink on the same day that we were going to go hunting. It’s just a stupid and dangerous thing to do, so quit trying to justify it.As for you ridiculous claim that if Bill Clinton had done this, it wouldn't have been an issue. Get real. The Republicans and the press would have hung him from a cherry tree down by the Potomac...and you know it. How short the Republican memory can be when it comes to the crap they put Clinton through (not that he didn't deserve much of it). But to claim that this poor administration is treated much more harshly than was Clinton's is a complete joke (and also off topic).