# VP Cheney shoots a hunter



## Johnny (Oct 12, 2005)

Thought this was interesting from CNN :sniper:

Harry Whittington, 78, was "alert and doing fine" after Cheney sprayed him with shotgun pellets on Saturday while the two were hunting at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.

Armstrong said Whittington was mostly injured on his right side, with the pellets hitting his cheek, neck and chest, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Whittington was in stable condition Sunday, said Yvonne Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Christus Spohn Health System.

Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president was with Whittington, a lawyer from Austin, Texas, and his wife at the hospital on Sunday afternoon.

Armstrong said she was watching from a car while Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of the vehicle to shot at a covey of quail late afternoon on Saturday.

Whittington shot a bird and went to look for it in the tall grass, while Cheney and the third hunter walked to another spot and found 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 told the Associated Press in an interview.

"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. And by god, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good."

The shooting was first reported by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

She said Whittington was bleeding but not very seriously injured, and Cheney was very apologetic.

"It broke the skin," she said. "It knocked him silly. But he was fine. He was talking. His eyes were open. It didn't get in his eyes or anything like that."

She said emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington, holding his face and cleaning up the blood.

"Fortunately, the vice president has got a lot of medical people around him and so they were right there and probably more cautious than we would have been," she said. "The vice president has got an ambulance on call, so the ambulance came."

Armstrong said Cheney is a longtime friend who comes to the ranch to hunt about once a year. She said Whittington is a regular, too, but she thought it was the first time the two men hunted together.

"This is something that happens from time to time. You now, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong.


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## Tator (Dec 10, 2005)

it can happen to anybody


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## John M (Oct 24, 2005)

:toofunny: If you are hunting with a group of people NEVER WALK OFF IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, this just proved how dumb he is. If you must walk off in different directions, at least get pretty far away and dont criss cross paths so no one gets shot. Hes the vice president and he doesnt even know that? Thats pretty bad when a college student has more knowledge then the vice president of the United States


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## gooseboy (Sep 13, 2005)

I dont really think its that funny.

:eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll:


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## John M (Oct 24, 2005)

Its funny that the vice president whos supposed to be smart did a stupid deed like walk in all different directions with a bunch of people handling loaded firearms, thats funny. The part about someone getting hurt is just plain sad but couldve been prevented.


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## usmarine0352 (Nov 26, 2005)

*How do u thin this will affect GUN CONTROL???*

How will they spin this???

Say, now we need Gun Control, because even the Vice President isn't safe???

:sniper:


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## ND decoy (Feb 1, 2003)

Maybe the VP should have lead him a little more and followed threw with his shot. Just kidding of course.

I don't like the guy and think that he is a criminal but I don't want him to see him hurt either. I was wondering what would have happened if this thing turned out the other way and the guy shot the VP? Would the secret service drop that guy on the spot? Or if he was killed the conspiracy theory guys would have a field day.


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## Ande8183 (Sep 18, 2005)

I dont see how you guys can think this is funny. This is just adding more fuel to the fire for the anti-gun activists. This is what the anti's look for to prove their side of the subject. I am not looking forward to see the outcome of this.


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## ND decoy (Feb 1, 2003)

Well first of all he shot a lawyer. I'm supprised he didn't give him the bottom barrel too.

Besides Cheaney's an A-hole.


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## Lvn2Hnt (Feb 22, 2005)

Gotta admit that when I heard it come across the news I burst out laughing. Not to say that I think that someone getting shot is funny, but well....how much safer of a hunt can you get with the VP, secret sevice, a guide, and several others on a canned hunt? Granted, my reaction would've been different if something very life threatening would've evolved.

But, this does go to show that anything can happen to any one of us on any hunt. And, I too, am afraid what the gun control freaks are going to pressure now.

Life's too short, you've got to see a little humor in this. But, if not, oh well, I'm entitled to my opinion just like everyone else.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Do you suppose they weren't wearing orange?


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

> Besides Cheaney's an A-hole.


I agree to bad it wasn't the other way around. It's kinda scary what those crooked bastards will turn this into.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Ande8183 said:


> I dont see how you guys can think this is funny. This is just adding more fuel to the fire for the anti-gun activists. This is what the anti's look for to prove their side of the subject. I am not looking forward to see the outcome of this.


I agree 100%. That was the first thing I thought of when I read it. This can't be good.


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

I don't think it is time for us to get our underwear in a bunch here with the anti-gun activists. I saw an accident report about a month ago and hunting/gun accidents was listed so far down the list it that it was hardly noticable. If my memory serves me right you were 33 times more likely to get hit by a car than have a hunting/gun accident.

Extreme sports were firsts on the list then hockey, soccer, football, basketball....etc...

On another note. Has the V.P. taken hunter's safety? Would be good to know. The guy shot is a lawyer....hmmm.. wonder where this will end up?

Never a good thing when a hunting accident occurs, even if it is somebody we don't care for.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

I agree, this happens multiple times every year in every state and no one even hears about it, much ado about nothing.

The only thing bad about it is he only hit one lawyer everyone knows when your shooting lawyers you shoot flock shoot :lol: :lol:


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## DRYLOK (Nov 29, 2005)

1.It was Whittington that managed to get hisself in the wrong place at the wrong time, not Cheney.
2.It was 12-18 hrs after the incident before the press broke the story.
3.The reason the press is having a field day (no pun intended) with this is that it's one more thing they can throw in the face of Republicans. They hate him anyway.
4.Raise your hand if you have ever been peppered. :withstupid:


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

peppered.... hot going in and hurts like hell taking it out, maybe I should have let a Dr. take out the buckshot.


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## oldfireguy (Jun 23, 2005)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drylock,
1.It was Whittington that managed to get hisself in the wrong place at the wrong time, not Cheney.

Not really. I've taught hunter safety since 1971, and the one thing I drive home is that the only person in control, is the one who holds the gun. No excuse for not knowing what's in your shooting zone.
Other hunters not wearing orange, and making it difficult for you to know their location?......then leave the field (or loan them some orange and insist they wear it).


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

oldfireguy: I couldn't agree more.

Ever been on Mallard Island for pheasant opener? You got guys all over the place out there. If you are in the field, you have an ethical responsibilty to be safe.

Story says he came in from behind. Isn't that where the dog handler usually is...behind? Sounds to me the VP shouldn't be mounting anywhere but forward especially if he was in a line with a group.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

> Other hunters not wearing orange, and making it difficult for you to know their location?......then leave the field (or loan them some orange and insist they wear it).


 good advice but the story says he got out of a the car and cheney and the guy he was hunting with didn't even know he was out there

in south Texas you sit on a seat welded to the front of a jeep and the pointers cover big territory as you drive behind them, when the dogs point you get off and approach them. Its a little different than a ND pheasant hunt......

Orange hats probably would of prevented this


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## John M (Oct 24, 2005)

http://dickhunt.ytmnd.com/ Haha its not what your thinking the website is, its a funny flash video of dick cheney about the shooting incident turn your speakers on :lol:


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## gooseboy (Sep 13, 2005)

John M said:


> Its funny that the vice president whos supposed to be smart did a stupid deed like walk in all different directions with a bunch of people handling loaded firearms, thats funny. The part about someone getting hurt is just plain sad but couldve been prevented.


If you heard correctly the guy that he shot went to look for a downed bird while cheney and another guy went to flush another covey. the man that went to look for the downed bird got shot because he came back without alerting cheney or anyone he was there. he just snuck right up.


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## gooseboy (Sep 13, 2005)

ND decoy said:


> Maybe the VP should have lead him a little more and followed threw with his shot. Just kidding of course.
> 
> I don't like the guy and think that he is a criminal but I don't want him to see him hurt either. I was wondering what would have happened if this thing turned out the other way and the guy shot the VP? Would the secret service drop that guy on the spot? Or if he was killed the conspiracy theory guys would have a field day.


Yea thats real funny?

THE GUY WENT TO LOOK FOR A DOWNED QUAIL AND CAME BACK UP WITHOUT ALERTING OF HIS PRESENCE!


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

live2hunt said:


> I don't think it is time for us to get our underwear in a bunch here with the anti-gun activists.


I get emails from the anti's all the time, they are watching forums looking for ammunition. In checking my server logs there's traffic that comes from PETA/anti forums regularly. ANY bad press on guns/hunters is GOOD press for their "cause".

I look at what's happening in Australia right now with the banning of bird hunting and it's a warning sign of the heat that's coming in the future.


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

Sorry Chris. Didn't realize you were inundated with anti's on the site.

My bad.


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## Lvn2Hnt (Feb 22, 2005)

All the ammunition the antis need is to find sportsmen divided on an issue....divide and conqueor. Hell, we give them that kind of ammo on nearly every post relating to nearly every hunting "issue". Look how we're bickering over something like this.


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## gooseboy (Sep 13, 2005)

:withstupid:


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## John M (Oct 24, 2005)

That website was a joke gooseboy dont get all hyped up. Just go marry dick cheney if you like him so much.


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## honkbuster3 (Jan 11, 2006)

This is not a big deal at all!!! It could happen to anyone. I don't think that anti gun people will do much. It happens a lot and it just happened to hte Vice President so we take notice BIG DEAL! :beer:


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

It does happen often.That is not what the press it ticked about.It was not reported for almost 24 hours.This is typical of this White House.Even conservatives on Fox News are saying that.It was withheild so it wouldn't be a topic on the Sunday morning talk shows.

The other thing is that Chenney had a non-res. license but did not have the appropriate upland stamps required.He wasn't ticketed and fined.....do you suppose we could get away with that?Helps to be the vice-pres. I guess. :eyeroll:


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## MSG Rude (Oct 6, 2003)

You can not tell that all the holyer-then thou's here have NEVER had pepper shot hit around them. You never heard the weeds take a few pellets next to you? Never felt that brush of a few pellets hit your vest or hear of this happening to one of your buddies? BS!

I have hunted in groups of up to 14 for birds and I have felt and heard shot around me before.

This **** happens so get over it and stop being all holyer-then thou. Makes me sick to hear people preach like this sometimes. Move on to another topic. Stuff happens.


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## gooseboy (Sep 13, 2005)

John M said:


> That website was a joke gooseboy dont get all hyped up. Just go marry dick cheney if you like him so much.


Dunno bout you but im not a democrat and im not gay so you have fun with that.


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## Lvn2Hnt (Feb 22, 2005)

What love is the response to VP not having the appropriate stamp:

"The check's in the mail" - who's heard (or used) that one before


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## ND decoy (Feb 1, 2003)

Know it's really getting funny. If you can't laugh about this one your just not trying very hard. IN the last 2 days Ihave seen some really funny stuff about this. The best one being that they now putting together color coded system like the terrrorist threat level to let people know the next time Dick Cheney is going hunting.

The rabid republicans and looney democrates are going to be raising hell about this for all time. While I get to sit here and watch it an laugh. It even got funnier today when we found out that he didn't have a upland stamp.


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## fireball (Oct 3, 2003)

I think we will all just pretend that SFCRude didn't post that. Having pallets fall around you after they are coming down from their apex and getting a direct shot aren't even the same thing. Don't even try and justify this with something that lame. It is to bad it happened. It is to bad that, as usual, it was not brought to attention until everything was "ok" for the press release.

Don't even bring something as lame as "everyone has been peppered." Lets go hunting, I will pepper you at 40 yds with a game load in the face. If that is what you classify as peppered, you are a seriously unsafe hunter.
:sniper:


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

I see where they want to award purple hearts to anyone who hunts with him


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## seabass (Sep 26, 2002)

Of course shooting someone isn't funny of itself... but...

TV joke writers take shots at Cheney

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Television talk shows took aim Monday at Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental weekend shooting in Texas of a hunting companion. Here are a few of the jokes. 
"Late Show with David Letterman," CBS

"Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction: It's Dick Cheney."

"But here is the sad part -- before the trip Donald Rumsfeld had denied the guy's request for body armor."

"We can't get Bin Laden, but we nailed a 78-year-old attorney."

"The guy who got gunned down, he is a Republican lawyer and a big Republican donor and fortunately the buck shot was deflected by wads of laundered cash. So he's fine. He took a little in the wallet."

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," NBC

"Although it is beautiful here in California, the weather back East has been atrocious. There was so much snow in Washington, D.C., Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fat guy thinking it was a polar bear."

"That's the big story over the weekend. ... Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter, a 78-year-old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent."

"I think Cheney is starting to lose it. After he shot the guy he screamed, 'Anyone else want to call domestic wire tapping illegal?' "

"Dick Cheney is capitalizing on this for Valentine's Day. It's the new Dick Cheney cologne. It's called Duck!"

"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," Comedy Central

The show's segment titles included "Cheney's Got a Gun," "No. 2 With a Bullet" and "Dead-Eye Dick."

"Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt ... making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, (was) shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird."

"Now, this story certainly has its humorous aspects. ... But it also raises a serious issue, one which I feel very strongly about. ... Moms, dads, if you're watching right now, I can't emphasize this enough: Do not let your kids go on hunting trips with the vice president. I don't care what kind of lucrative contracts they're trying to land, or energy regulations they're trying to get lifted -- it's just not worth it."

"Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," CBS

"He is a lawyer and he got shot in the face. But he's a lawyer, he can use his other face. He'll be all right."

"You can understand why this lawyer fellow let his guard down, because if you're out hunting with a politician, you think, 'If I'm going to get it, it's going to be in the back.' "

"The big scandal apparently is that they didn't release the news for 18 hours. I don't think that's a scandal at all. I'm quite pleased about that. Finally there's a secret the vice president's office can keep."

"Apparently the reason they didn't release the information right away is they said we had to get the facts right. That's never stopped them in the past."


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## fireball (Oct 3, 2003)

I like the last one, that is a zinger. :sniper:


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## DRYLOK (Nov 29, 2005)

Alright let me take another shot at this (agian no pun intended)

1. I doubt it was buckshot
2.I doubt it was a 28 ga
3.He didn't mistake Whittington for a quail
he did not have a clear shot when he shot at the quail
4.shotguns do not shoot bullets. They shoot shot pellets
5.A situation is only as big of a deal as the press makes it out to be
6.In the future it is important that anytime anything happens involving the
Bush admin before calling 911,call the whitehouse press first so they 
don't get thier panties in a bunch. Especially that David whatever his 
name is.
7.Ted Kennedy :bartime: 
8. No I have not listened to Rush or Hannity since this happened

All of these comments are directed to the mainsteam media not anyone here a Nodak.


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## MRN (Apr 1, 2002)

Those are funny jokes.

I just hate to think of the outcome had the roles been reversed - old guy peppers Cheney, Secret Service drops old guy. Not good....

If the old guy is still in the hospital, this is probably pretty serious.

M.


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## adokken (Jan 28, 2003)

We should be thankful that he was a draft dodger, or more of our young men would of died in Vietnam.About being peppered, If I was peppered by some idiot I would take his gun away and maybe wrap it around a tree. I have hunted nearly 70 years and the people I hunted with must of had a little more common sense then that. This shot was at 30 yards, and with number 8 or 9 shot this is a lot more serious then we are being told.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Just heard a radio report that said the man that was shot had a mild heart attack due to bb's lodged in his heart, they stressed that it was a mild attack.

Sounds like it is a little more serious than some thought.

Bob


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Cheney victim has heart irregularity after birdshot moves into his heart
Associated Press
Published Tuesday, February 14, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) - The man shot by Vice President Dick Cheney suffered a minor heart attack after birdshot moved into his heart, hospital officials said Tuesday, and was moved back to the intensive care unit for further treatment.

Texas attorney Harry Whittington was recovering and will be monitored for seven days to make sure more bird shot doesn't move to other organs or move to other part of his body, hospital officials said.

"However some of the bird shot appears to have moved and lodged into part of his heart in what we would say is a minor heart attack," said Peter Banko, administrator at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial.

White House physicians who attended to Whittington at the scene after Cheney accidentally shot him were involved in the treatment, the officials said.


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## Lvn2Hnt (Feb 22, 2005)

Whattya talking about old guy, they're both old. :lol:


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## gooseboy (Sep 13, 2005)

DRYLOK said:


> Alright let me take another shot at this (agian no pun intended)
> 
> 1. I doubt it was buckshot
> 2.I doubt it was a 28 ga
> ...


But he didnt know where Whittington was when he took the shot because Whittington was looking for a bird.


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## John M (Oct 24, 2005)

gooseboy said:


> John M said:
> 
> 
> > That website was a joke gooseboy dont get all hyped up. Just go marry dick cheney if you like him so much.
> ...


Im not either one to, are you implying I was? How old are you gooseboy 12?


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## gooseboy (Sep 13, 2005)

Nope close though. :lol:

This is great guys all the antis need to see is us fighting amongst ourselves.


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## Kiwi98j (Sep 6, 2005)

This isn't about anti's.

This should be about another idiot with a gun and his head up his *** that avoids the first rule that we all must live by. You don't pull the trigger unless you are sure what you are shooting and you have a clear shot.

I don't care who it is - I like the guys politics but that doesn't excuse him in any way. Thank Goodness he didn't kill the guy.

I've hunted for 40 years and have never shot anyone by accident and don't know anyone that has. Even in Vietnam, I never shot anyone by accident.


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## swift (Jun 4, 2004)

This was an unfortunate accident that could have happened to any one of us. I cover an ER in SW North Dakota. EVERY year during the opener of pheasant we treat a hunter that has been shot by someone in his party. It is usually minor but never has anyone involved notified law enforcement prior to their arrival to the ER. We do it when they arrive because we are required to by law.

Did you guys know that if you jump out of your boat at the dock and twist your ankle you are required by law to report it to the Fish and Game. The law says any injury sustained while hunting or boating MUST be reported to the local game warden. So next time you fall out of your treestand you better notify the authorities so you don't get crucified by the folks that never make a bad decision.


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## Kiwi98j (Sep 6, 2005)

swift said:


> we are required to by law.


And rightly so. Only the person with their finger on the trigger can avoid an accidential shooting.


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## RiveRat (Sep 19, 2004)

What we have here is called "target fixation". The shooter is so focused on the target, he fails to see what is behind it as the target moves along. This is the cause of quite a few hunting incidents every year. We have a "blue sky" rule when we hunt, especially in groups. You don't shoot unless you see the sky behind the bird. Sometimes you don't get a shot, but it's a lot better than shooting into brush or corn and taking a chance on hitting another hunter or a dog that you didn't see. As I understand it, everyone was wearing orange in the Cheney incident, but the guy that was shot was in some tall grass. Even if the guy hadn't announced himself, the shot shouldn't have been taken. No excuses.


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