Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter at nearby ranch
By Kathryn Garcia and
Jaime Powell/Caller-Times
February 12, 2006
Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally fired upon and injured a hunting companion during a weekend trip to the Armstrong Ranch in Kenedy County, peppering the 78-year-old with shotgun pellets while stalking quail.
The vice president sprayed prominent Harry Whittington with pellets from a 28-gauge shotgun while shooting quail at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Kenedy County ranch, where he is a frequent visitor.
Whittington is in stable condition, said Yvonne Wheeler, spokeswoman for Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial. It is unknown when he will be released, she said.
Medical personnel that accompanied Cheney to the ranch tended to the injured man before paramedics arrived, said Katharine Armstrong, one of the owners of the ranch, which is about 60 miles southwest of Corpus Christi.
"He is doing great," Armstrong said. "My sister had been up there.
He’s sitting up, talking, cracking jokes, razzing the nurses."
Armstrong said Whittington was injured to the right side of his lower face, neck, shoulder and chest.
"The vice president has visited with Harry Whittington at the hospital and was pleased to see he was doing fine and in good spirits," said Lea Anne McBride, spokeswoman for the vice president.
McBride, who confirmed the accident Sunday around noon, would not comment on whether the White House would have released the information had the Caller-Times not contacted them. The Caller-Times received a tip from a member of the Armstrong family Sunday morning, 18 hours after the incident occurred.
"I’m not going to speculate," McBride said. "When you put the call into me, I was able to confirm that account."
Cheney was scheduled to return to the White House on Monday. He returned to his home Sunday evening.
Armstrong said Cheney turned to shoot quail that had just been flown away, accidentally peppering one side of Whittington’s body. Armstrong said Cheney was unaware Whittington had approached him from behind.
"This is of course not something that you want to happen, but it does happen sometimes," Armstrong said. "It’s a risk when any shooting sport is involved."
Whittington had stepped away from the hunting party to search for a downed quail and was within 30 yards of rejoining Cheney and another hunter, but had not made his presence known, when a second group of quail flushed, Armstrong said.jaime
Cheney had picked out one of the quail, followed it with his gun and shot, inadvertently spraying Whittington with shotgun pellets, she said.jaime She added that the sun was in his eyes.
Cheney, standing nearby, was apologetic as medical personnel tended to his wounds before paramedics arrived, she said.jaime
All safety precautions were taken by the hunters, who were wearing bright orange vests, Armstrong said.
"Everybody behaved exactly as you would want them to," Armstrong said.
"I hope this a reminder to everyone to be safety conscious when enjoying the outdoors."
Armstrong Ranch, purchased in 1885 and settled in 1882 by John Armstrong III, is a 50,000-acre spread that draws countless prominent visitors and has been in the influential South Texas family since it was settled. Katharine is the daughter of Tobin Armstrong, a high-profile rancher with political connections who died in 2005. Cheney was among the guests who attended his family.
Armstrong said Whittington holds no ill feelings toward Cheney and doesn’t plan to sue.
"Oh, heavens, no," Armstrong said. "This happens, and my God, I’ve never seen a case of hard feelings. I bet this would deepen their friendship."
Contact Kathryn Garcia at 886-3792 or garciak@caller.com. Contact Jaime Powell at 886-3716 or powellj@caller.com
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Reflections on the first crossbow season
Reflections on the first crossbow season
By Bill Cochran
ROANOKE.COM COLUMNIST
More than 14,000 sportsmen in Virginia purchased a new license that gave them the right to hunt with a crossbow during the 2005-06 bowhunting season. What did they think of the novel experience? We asked four hunters to help answer that question:
JEFF AKERS, Botetourt County
“I loved it.” The truth is, Akers was so enthralled with his crossbow that he put aside his compound bow and spent more time afield than he normally would. The switchover appeared to be something of a trend. Bow license sales declined about 7,000 and officials believe this was the result of archers switching to crossbows.
Akers killed four does with his crossbow. Big game kill figures aren’t available, but wildlife officials believe crossbow hunters can be credited with about 25 percent of the deer killed during the archery/crossbow season.
Akers especially liked the fact that the crossbow requires less preparation time than a compound, which is important to a busy hunter. “There is less guesswork and the crossbow offers faster, flatter shooting,” he said.
The killing power of the crossbow was awesome. “Actually, the four deer that I killed went down about as fast as they would have had they been shot with a .270. It hit them hard.”
Akers hunts from treestands with his compound bow, but he spent more time in ground stands with his crossbow. One of the reasons, he was hunting new territory and wasn’t certain where to place treestands. So the crossbow fit right into his explortory efforts.
JIM RIGGS, Norfolk:
Riggs has been a bowhunter since 1976, but a bad back was giving him problems, so he jumped at the chance to try a crossbow. He did a lot of research and ended up trying two brands of equipment.
“A prospective crossbow hunter should definitely try a few different makes before he buys one, and should talk to someone who owns one and has hunted with it,” Riggs said. “There are lots of differences between different makes.”
After a few days of practice, Riggs was shooting a 3-inch group at 50 yards, “which was phenomenal for me compared to my usual accuracy with a compound.”
But he found the crossbow to be heavy and awkward in the woods. “The combination of the crossbow mounted sideways on the stock make it awkward to carry in and out of the woods, particularly with a treestand on your back. A crossbow would not be a good choice for someone who wanted to still hunt in thick woods.”
Once on his stand, either in a tree or a ground blind, Riggs said he felt comfortable.
“I was confident with its operation and accuracy and felt good about its range potential and how little motion was necessary to release an arrow compared to drawing a bow.”
The crossbow was loud and shots taken longer than 40 yards could result in a deer getting out of the way before the arrow reached it, he said.
As for success with the crossbow, Riggs reported what he called an “awful” season. But he has plans to hunt with a crossbow next season. He killed a fine 8-pointer with his muzzleloader.
WALT HAMPTON, Grayson County
“I was disappointed with the crossbow. My own expectations were too high. I did hunt with it several times, but did not take any game with it.
“I found it to be awkward to carry and handle and it did not fit my style of hunting, which is to still hunt instead of stand hunt.” The equipment would be useful to an immobile hunter, he said.
Hampton is a former wildlife biologist who writes for gun magazines and operates Buck Mountain Rifle Works, www.buckmountainrifleworks.com. He said he didn’t expect to pursue crossbow hunting in the future and would get rid of his equipment.
It was a worthwhile experiment, he said.
JIM STANULIS, Virginia Beach
The things that impressed Stanulis about his crossbow were its speed and accuracy. He plans to hunt with it again next season.
“Using the crossbow certainly seems to even the odds in favor of the hunter,” he said. “There is less movement and greater accuracy coupled with the fact that I am not encumbered with trying to hold a conventional bow at full draw waiting for the perfect shot.”
Stanulis didn’t kill a deer with his crossbow, but that didn’t deter him from enjoying its use. He wished he’d had one a number of years ago when he hunted with a recurved bow.
“I had a few misses which, when I think back, would probably have turned out differently with the added accuracy and speed of a crossbow. I think crossbow hunting will add a new dimension to deer hunting for those of us who enjoy hunting alone and just being in the outdoors amongst those sneaky critters.”
By Bill Cochran
ROANOKE.COM COLUMNIST
More than 14,000 sportsmen in Virginia purchased a new license that gave them the right to hunt with a crossbow during the 2005-06 bowhunting season. What did they think of the novel experience? We asked four hunters to help answer that question:
JEFF AKERS, Botetourt County
“I loved it.” The truth is, Akers was so enthralled with his crossbow that he put aside his compound bow and spent more time afield than he normally would. The switchover appeared to be something of a trend. Bow license sales declined about 7,000 and officials believe this was the result of archers switching to crossbows.
Akers killed four does with his crossbow. Big game kill figures aren’t available, but wildlife officials believe crossbow hunters can be credited with about 25 percent of the deer killed during the archery/crossbow season.
Akers especially liked the fact that the crossbow requires less preparation time than a compound, which is important to a busy hunter. “There is less guesswork and the crossbow offers faster, flatter shooting,” he said.
The killing power of the crossbow was awesome. “Actually, the four deer that I killed went down about as fast as they would have had they been shot with a .270. It hit them hard.”
Akers hunts from treestands with his compound bow, but he spent more time in ground stands with his crossbow. One of the reasons, he was hunting new territory and wasn’t certain where to place treestands. So the crossbow fit right into his explortory efforts.
JIM RIGGS, Norfolk:
Riggs has been a bowhunter since 1976, but a bad back was giving him problems, so he jumped at the chance to try a crossbow. He did a lot of research and ended up trying two brands of equipment.
“A prospective crossbow hunter should definitely try a few different makes before he buys one, and should talk to someone who owns one and has hunted with it,” Riggs said. “There are lots of differences between different makes.”
After a few days of practice, Riggs was shooting a 3-inch group at 50 yards, “which was phenomenal for me compared to my usual accuracy with a compound.”
But he found the crossbow to be heavy and awkward in the woods. “The combination of the crossbow mounted sideways on the stock make it awkward to carry in and out of the woods, particularly with a treestand on your back. A crossbow would not be a good choice for someone who wanted to still hunt in thick woods.”
Once on his stand, either in a tree or a ground blind, Riggs said he felt comfortable.
“I was confident with its operation and accuracy and felt good about its range potential and how little motion was necessary to release an arrow compared to drawing a bow.”
The crossbow was loud and shots taken longer than 40 yards could result in a deer getting out of the way before the arrow reached it, he said.
As for success with the crossbow, Riggs reported what he called an “awful” season. But he has plans to hunt with a crossbow next season. He killed a fine 8-pointer with his muzzleloader.
WALT HAMPTON, Grayson County
“I was disappointed with the crossbow. My own expectations were too high. I did hunt with it several times, but did not take any game with it.
“I found it to be awkward to carry and handle and it did not fit my style of hunting, which is to still hunt instead of stand hunt.” The equipment would be useful to an immobile hunter, he said.
Hampton is a former wildlife biologist who writes for gun magazines and operates Buck Mountain Rifle Works, www.buckmountainrifleworks.com. He said he didn’t expect to pursue crossbow hunting in the future and would get rid of his equipment.
It was a worthwhile experiment, he said.
JIM STANULIS, Virginia Beach
The things that impressed Stanulis about his crossbow were its speed and accuracy. He plans to hunt with it again next season.
“Using the crossbow certainly seems to even the odds in favor of the hunter,” he said. “There is less movement and greater accuracy coupled with the fact that I am not encumbered with trying to hold a conventional bow at full draw waiting for the perfect shot.”
Stanulis didn’t kill a deer with his crossbow, but that didn’t deter him from enjoying its use. He wished he’d had one a number of years ago when he hunted with a recurved bow.
“I had a few misses which, when I think back, would probably have turned out differently with the added accuracy and speed of a crossbow. I think crossbow hunting will add a new dimension to deer hunting for those of us who enjoy hunting alone and just being in the outdoors amongst those sneaky critters.”
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