Dead-Eye Dick!

[Fargin_Bastige]

Folks, you can't write material this good.....

Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter
'Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good'

Sunday, February 12, 2006; Posted: 9:29 p.m. EST (02:29 GMT)


Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old lawyer, was in stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- 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.

Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday, said Yvonne Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Christus Spohn Health System.

The accident occurred Saturday at a ranch in south Texas where the vice president and several companions were hunting quail. It was not reported publicly by the vice president's office for nearly 24 hours, and then only after it was reported locally by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on its Web site Sunday.

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

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'

Armstrong told The Associated Press that emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington before an ambulance -- routinely on call because of the vice president's presence -- took him to the hospital.

Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president met with Whittington at the hospital on Sunday. Cheney "was pleased to see that he's doing fine and in good spirits," she said.

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

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.

"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."

Whittington has been a private practice attorney in Austin since 1950 and has long been active in Texas Republican politics. He's been appointed to several state boards, including when then-Gov. George W. Bush named him to the Texas Funeral Service Commission.

McBride did not comment about why the vice president's office did not tell reporters about the accident until the next day. She referred the question to Armstrong, who could not be reached again Sunday evening.

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. "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.

"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."

Cheney is an avid hunter who makes annual trips to South Dakota to hunt pheasants. He also travels frequently to Arkansas to hunt ducks, among other places.

Armstrong said Cheney is a longtime friend who comes to the ranch to hunt about once a year and is "a very safe sportsman." 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 know, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong.

The 50,000-acre Armstrong ranch has been in the influential south Texas family since the turn of the last century. Katharine is the daughter of Tobin Armstrong, a politically connected rancher who has been a guest at the White House and spent 48 years as director of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He died in October. Cheney was among the dignitaries who attended his funeral.

Cheney was legally hunting with a license he purchased in November, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesman Steve Lightfoot said. The vice president flew back to Washington on Sunday evening, according to his office.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Travis71902]

Im sure this will offend someone...and I dont really give a shit, but people that old shouldn't be allowed to do things like hunt, or drive for that matter. Of course I'm exagerrating, but seriously, yearly tests need to be given to the elderly. I know it was just an accident, coulda happened to anyone, but this is how I feel nonetheless.

[Fargin_Bastige]

Originally Posted by Travis71902

Im sure this will offend someone...and I dont really give a shit, but people that old shouldn't be allowed to do things like hunt, or drive for that matter. Of course I'm exagerrating, but seriously, yearly tests need to be given to the elderly. I know it was just an accident, coulda happened to anyone, but this is how I feel nonetheless.

or be Vice President.

[Travis71902]

Originally Posted by Fargin_Bastige

or be Vice President.

So true lol

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by Fargin_Bastige

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

Did anyone else read this and think WTF, Over?

Last time I spotted a covey of quail was when I was knee deep in cattails. Must be nice to get out of one's warm limo and whack a few birds...

[DCMETRO1]

lol, I laughed when I heard about this,

[jk750]

I just can't believe it took this long for someone to bring it up in here.

[bumblebee]

It points out, rather vividly, why you must follow the safety rules established for quail hunting. Whittington did not follow proper procedure and got hurt...I have seen it happen at our hunts...It was not Cheney's fault...

It is just like taking a newbie out for a ride on the twisties...is it your fault if they don't follow the rules and get hurt???

same here...

[Fargin_Bastige]

Originally Posted by jk750

I just can't believe it took this long for someone to bring it up in here.

I was at the show all day.

[m21att1]

Originally Posted by bumblebee

It points out, rather vividly, why you must follow the safety rules established for quail hunting. Whittington did not follow proper procedure and got hurt...I have seen it happen at our hunts...It was not Cheney's fault...

It is just like taking a newbie out for a ride on the twisties...is it your fault if they don't follow the rules and get hurt???

same here...

+1 Whittington was not supposed to be there nor did he make himself known to the other hunters in the area. It happens on a regular basis, you just don't hear about it when it's a regular joe.

[Fargin_Bastige]

He did shoot someone. I have never shot someone.

My guess is that Huntington had something on Cheney.

[Fargin_Bastige]

Originally Posted by bumblebee

It is just like taking a newbie out for a ride on the twisties...is it your fault if they don't follow the rules and get hurt???

I don't really know about the hunting crap.

But....
To this comment, the answer is yes, it's partially your fault. Most of us ride way beyond what a new rider can do to impress them or just because it's our style.

You slow down and keep an easy pace for the new rider to learn at.

Sorry, back to politics.

[bush]

Originally Posted by Fargin_Bastige

He did shoot someone. I have never shot someone.

My guess is that Huntington had something on Cheney.