HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Front page

Feb. 13, 2006, 7:52PM

Cheney, victim lacked proper hunting stamp
By JAMES PINKERTON and JULIE MASON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

CORPUS CHRISTI — Vice President Dick Cheney and Austin lawyer Harry Whittington, the Austin lawyer he wounded in a weekend hunting accident, did not have the proper stamp on their hunting licenses to shoot quail, according to a Texas Parks and Wildlife report released today.
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This afternoon Cheney sent a $7 check to the TPWD to pay for the upland game bird stamp, according to the vice-president's press office.

A new state law that took effect last fall requires hunters to get the special $7 stamp to hunt quail, but neither man had done so, according to the hunting accident and incident report.

"A check of TPWD license records indicated that while the vice president had purchased a valid nonresident hunting license, he had not purchased the required upland game bird stamp," according to a news release.

Cheney's office said he was notified today that he lacked the proper stamp even though his staff earlier had sent a check for $140 and asked for all stamps and licenses required to hunt quail in Texas.

TPWD wardens have been issuing warnings — not citations — to hunters who don't have the stamp. But neither Cheney nor Whittington have been issued warnings, according to Lydia Saldana, TPWD spokeswoman.

Whittington is recovering rapidly after he was hit in the face and neck Saturday by a shotgun blast fired by Cheney, hospital officials said today. But they would not say when he would be released.

Also today, White House spokesman Scott McClellan faced an angry Washington press corps demanding answers for the delay in making public news of the shooting mishap.

It took about 22 hours for the vice president's office to confirm details of the incident, which occurred around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The accident was first reported Sunday by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, after the paper got a call from Katharine Armstrong, owner of the South Texas ranch where the shooting occurred.

Secret Service agents phoned Kenedy County Sheriff Ramon Salinas shortly after the shooting because their radios weren't compatible, the sheriff's office said today.

"The investigation reveals that there was no alcohol or misconduct involved in the incident," according to the department's release.

A spokeswoman for the Sheriffs Department said deputies visited the hospital and questioned Whittington about the accident.

"He's doing wonderful. I met with him earlier today — he was in a great mood. He has gotten up in a chair today," said Peter Banko, the administrator for Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial.

Banko said Whittington, 78, had been moved out of the intensive care unit but would remain in the hospital until at least today. The Austin lawyer was retrieving a downed quail on the Armstrong Ranch when Cheney, not knowing that Whittington was near, wheeled and fired at a rising bird.

Dr. David Blanchard, director of hospital emergency services, said Whittington had more shotgun pellets "than I can count on my hands and less than 100" lodged in his face, neck and torso. He said the pellets would not be removed, but added it is normal to closely observe a patient with multiple gunshot wounds.

"So far, everything has been following a textbook case; there are no complications," Blanchard said. "His progress has been excellent; he's talking, awake, alert and in good humor."

Whittington, a longtime Republican activist, was hunting quail with Cheney when he dropped behind the hunting party to retrieve a downed quail.

He was returning to the group and was about 30 yards away when Cheney turned to fire on quail rising from a covey. Blanchard confirmed the blast could have been fatal if Whittington had been closer.

"He was very fortunate the velocity (of shot) was defused," Blanchard said, referring to the hundreds of BB-sized pellets fired by Cheney's 28-gauge shotgun.

Banko, the hospital administrator, said that being "peppered by shot during bird hunting season is a common event. "For bird hunters, it's not a big deal, he said.

In Washington, a leading topic of inquiry was why the White House was so slow in making news of the accident public, and why Cheney's office left it to Armstrong, a private citizen, to notify the press.

McClellan said Armstrong, as an eyewitness, was designated to put the word out. The White House didn't comment on the incident until this morning.

"The vice president spoke directly with Mrs. Armstrong, and they agreed that she would make the information public," he said.

The first priority was getting Whittington medical attention and gathering the relevant facts before making public statements, McClellan said.

"We're most concerned about Mr. Whittington. And as I said, the vice president was glad to see he was doing fine yesterday and that he's in good spirits," McClellan said. "He is someone that many of us here know and have great respect for. And we look forward to him getting out of the hospital soon."

According to a timeline from the White House, McClellan was notified Saturday night that there had been a hunting accident involving a member of Cheney's party.

President Bush first learned of the incident generally in a call from Chief of Staff Andy Card around 7:30 p.m. EST, McClellan said. Bush was not informed at that time that Cheney was involved.

Shortly after, Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove spoke with Armstrong, and called Bush around 8 p.m. EST to inform him that Cheney was the shooter.

McClellan said he didn't learn until early Sunday morning that the shooter was the vice president.

McClellan declined comment on whether efforts to make the incident public had been too slow, or whether he believed deferring the job to Armstrong was the right course, saying, "I prefer to keep those conversations private."

While defending the administration's job in getting the word out, McClellan also said he believes it's important to notify the public when accidents happen.

"The vice president went over to him and was making sure that his team was getting to him and taking care of him. That's what the first priority always ought to be," McClellan said. "Now, I know that it's important to inform the media, and I have told you I believe it's important to get that information out as quickly as possible."

For the Bush White House, regarded as one of the most closely-guarded in history, the Cheney incident set a new standard.

By contrast in 2002, when Bush choked on a pretzel and fainted while watching a football game on television, journalists were scrambled to a conference call later that same night to learn details from the White House.

And when the president collided with a police officer last year while riding his bike in Scotland and sent the officer to the hospital, reporters traveling with Bush learned of the incident shortly after it happened.

Bush and Cheney had lunch together today, but neither spoke publicly about the hunting incident. The president ignored a question about the incident during an Oval Office appearance with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Cheney, who had participated in the meeting with Annan, left before reporters were escorted into the office.

Julie Mason reported from Washington

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This article is: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3656154.html

Cheney's office said he was notified today that he lacked the proper stamp even though his staff earlier had sent a check for $140 and asked for all stamps and licenses required to hunt quail in Texas.


Still Cheney's fault for not following up and making sure personally he was properly licensed and permitted

"He was very fortunate the velocity (of shot) was defused," Blanchard said, referring to the hundreds of BB-sized pellets fired by Cheney's 28-gauge shotgun.

That's a mighty impressive load for a 28-gauge.  Fucking idiot Chronicle asshole cockstuffers.  

I am having problems finding current postings of TX Parks and Wildlife Code, other than a proposed amendment from June of 2005 adding a quail stamp for the first time, and only applying to wild quail. Section 1 subchapter R 43.602 ???

So: some states do not require stamps if they are private reserves with planted birds. Is this hunt within a normal quail season for wild birds or are are they planted birds and possibly exempt?

I love how the media was bitching because notification was delayed.



Not to Law Enforcement or the hospital... to them.

[ineffectual whining] We're the fourth estate, dammit! Respect our author-i-tah![/ineffectual whining]

Soooooo   what would the answer be if I shot a deer and wounded another hunter and it was then determined that I did not have the proper tags and I proceeded to send in a check for $18.00 and "oopsy".

Somehow I doubt anyone would be falling all over themselves to defend me and the state would be just saying "Don't worry about it".  

ETA: Never mind, I hear the rules are brand new and not being enforced this year.  He still should have known but I'm sure it was just left to staff to arrange it and he was just holding what they handed him.


They should have kept aware of the locations of the members of the hunting party.  They should have known if they had the proper licenses.  Any one of us would be expected to do the same.

Quoted: I love how the media was bitching because notification was delayed. Not to Law Enforcement or the hospital... to them. [ineffectual whining] We're the fourth estate, dammit! Respect our author-i-tah![/ineffectual whining]

That was retarded.  I nearly exploded at the TV when I heard that line of questioning.  Total horseshit.  "You have to notify US of any personal mishaps....  It's our law!!!!!" --  Media retards.

Is that where we are going wrong?  I knew it was something I was missing, never thought about a stamp though.

The whole thing is a big whoop, the poor press was left out.  They should take up hunting.

here...

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0213061cheney3.html

Quoted: "He was very fortunate the velocity (of shot) was defused," Blanchard said, referring to the hundreds of BB-sized pellets fired by Cheney's 28-gauge shotgun. That's a mighty impressive load for a 28-gauge.  Fucking idiot Chronicle asshole cockstuffers.

No shit.

Quoted: Quoted: I love how the media was bitching because notification was delayed. Not to Law Enforcement or the hospital... to them. [ineffectual whining] We're the fourth estate, dammit! Respect our author-i-tah![/ineffectual whining] That was retarded.  I nearly exploded at the TV when I heard that line of questioning.  Total horseshit.  "You have to notify US of any personal mishaps....  It's our law!!!!!" --  Media retards.

This is better than watching a comedy on television.  These guys are unreal.

While on a sex-spree in a Tijuana whorehouse, Dick Cheney used a live cougar as a condom.

The bodycount was fourteen Mexican whores and one cougar.

In Tijuana, they refer to this as "The Night of the Sodomizing Cougar-Man."
Dick Cheney refers to it as "last Thursday."

I am not comfortable with the laws that state people must pay a tax to hunt non-endangered or protected species on private land with consent of the land owner in safe conditions.

EDIT:  While someone obviously fucked up, I think it is silly that the many in the media are trying to fault him, not for fucking up royally, but for not telling the press right away.   He did the right thing and got the man medical attention first and followed through with it.  I am no supporter of Cheney, but I do not see why this would be of any sort of public interest demanding the attention of the public ASAP.

Fuck the liberal socialist press. They greatly over estimate their importance and influence.

Quoted: I am not comfortable with the laws that state people must pay a tax to hunt non-endangered or protected species on private land with consent of the land owner in safe conditions.

Unless you own them they are the state's wildlife.  Kings deer and all.

Quoted: While on a sex-spree in a Tijuana whorehouse, Dick Cheney used a live cougar as a condom. The bodycount was fourteen Mexican whores and one cougar. In Tijuana, they refer to this as "The Night of the Sodomizing Cougar-Man." Dick Cheney refers to it as "last Thursday."

Do you need the stamp if you are not shooting wild birds and was the VP shooting wild birds or on one of the private bird ranches?  Without this information the article as well as the rest of these posts are pointless.

"So did Ted Kennedy have a permit to kill the girl at Chappaquiddick ? "

I was just watching the reply of Neil Cavuto on Fox and a guy asked that. Good point

Stupid stamps. I wish more people woundn't buy them in protest.

Quoted: "He was very fortunate the velocity (of shot) was defused," Blanchard said, referring to the hundreds of BB-sized pellets fired by Cheney's 28-gauge shotgun.

Hundreds of BB-sized pellets.  So the total weight of shot would be, what, 3,000 grains (200 X 15 grains)?  That's pretty big for a 28-gauge shell.  Hell, that's three times as much as a 10-gauge shell.

Quoted: While on a sex-spree in a Tijuana whorehouse, Dick Cheney used a live cougar as a condom. The bodycount was fourteen Mexican whores and one cougar. In Tijuana, they refer to this as "The Night of the Sodomizing Cougar-Man." Dick Cheney refers to it as "last Thursday."

That is SO good.  Thanks for sharing.  Sounds like you have taken journalism at sometime in your past.