No, not that 'Hunter'
I'm not ready for 'American Sportsman' but I have taken a gun safety course. My take as a hunter is wonderment at how Dick could shoot this poor guy? I'm astounded at the incredible negligence it takes to shoot someone while hunting quail.
In the end, unless the person jumps in front of your shotgun, it's always the shooter's fault.
There's more...
About the story
Armstrong said Whittington went to retrieve a bird he shot while Cheney and a third hunter, whom she would not identify, walked to another spot and discovered a second covey of quail.
Whittington "came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn't signal them or indicate to them or announce himself," said Armstrong.
"The vice president didn't see him," she said. "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."
Basic hunting safety gudelines determines that you establish 'zones of fire' In my experience your zone never includes 'behind you' as the story would indicate.
As a shooter you should always be aware of every member of your party. If someone wanders off and then you have an opportunity for a shot, you never take the shot unless you know exactly where he or she is. That's just comman sense.
As the title states: 'Check Your Targets' The last time I checked it was pretty easy to tell the difference between quail and a human, especially at 90 ft range.
Thank god he was using a .28 gauge or Mr. Whittington would have really really been hurt. (Instead of just intensive care) All in all Dick's hunting license should be revoked.