By Daniel Pryzbyla

"In Wisconsin , we don't presume that someone got into the line of fire. We presume that the shooter knows his target and what's beyond it so that if there is someone there, he doesn't take the shot," said recreation safety specialist Pat Lisi.

Members of the quail hunting party on the 50,000 acre Armstrong Ranch near Corpus Christi, Texas were quick to fault 78-year old Texas attorney Harry Whittington, a long time Republican friend, who had been shot by Vice President Dick Cheney. They said he had failed to announce himself when trudging toward the group after picking up a quail he had shot. While news reporters were busy protesting the late White House announcement of the shooting incident, meanwhile you could imagine hunters and hunting experts across the country wincing and rolling their eyes in response to the blame game.

"Cheney didn't follow safety rules, experts say," was the headline of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story Wednesday, February 15, 2006 written by Bob Riepenhoff, Outdoors editor. Lisi, a recreational safety specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said Cheney had violated 2 of the basic rules of hunter safety: "Know your target and what is beyond - and always keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction." News reports had claimed all the hunters were wearing the safety orange clothing. "If the guy was wearing camouflage and was behind the line of hunters in the brush, then he's going to be real hard to see. But when you spin around and you see orange, you don't shoot," said Lisi, also a conservation warden who teaches hunter safety instructors.

Riepenhoff noted that Lisi agreed with earlier reports that bird-shooting accidents were "fairly common" hunting mishaps. "People kind of get tunnel vision when they're aiming at an animal," Lisi said. "A quail is a small target, and the smaller the target - the narrower the tunnel." The hunting expert warned, "This should teach kids that accidents happen quickly, and you can't recall the shot once you've pulled the trigger." There's another lesson to be learned. "Anybody can have a hunting accident, even the vice president of the United States - but nobody is exempt from the safety rules."

It was bad enough the White House was delaying information about Cheney's hunting accident, but the VP didn't help matters any. In the New York Times story Tuesday, February 14, 2006, written by Anne E. Kornblut and Ralph Blumenthal, the first news out of Cheney's office was about Texas hunting fees. "In a statement on Monday night, Mr. Cheney's office said a member of his staff had asked the Parks and Wildlife Department for all of the necessary permits for the vice president to go quail hunting in Texas and had paid the $140 fee." A $7 stamp hadn't been paid to hunt for upland game birds, but he sent that in later.

Uh, is something missing here? Hey, Dick! Worry about the fees later! You shot a 78-year old Republican ally in your hunting party with a 28-gauge shotgun, and he's in the hospital! Say something! You're the vice president of the United States , not just another week-end quail hunter escaping from a hectic week at the office. Hold a White House press conference to tell the country it was a tragedy no hunter wants to experience, and you are deeply sorry. Nope. But we now know he paid the fees. He even disappears from sight! Finally, 4 days after the hunting tragedy, he surfaces Wednesday, February 15, for a "Fox TV interview" instead. It's safer political isolation from the media buzzards at the White House.

Something else has been missing from sight, too. Serious bird hunters have bird dogs with them on the hunt. They flush out quail from hiding places, and most are even excellent swimmers if a bird is hit and falls in water. In North America , the Hungarian Vizsla "yellow pointer" is an excellent "upland bird dog." That's why Chaney paid the extra $7 bucks to hunt "upland game birds." This millionaire club quail posse wasn't short on cash to have the Vizsla or any one of the other skilled bird dog breeds available for their hunt: Labrador Retriever, American Cocker Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel, German Wirehair Pointer or the English Pointer - "every inch a hunting dog." But that's a hunting story for another time from expert bird hunters praising "man's best friend" for still another good reason.

Not all hunters are created equal - nor are politicians. Well, that's sort of expected. Vice President Cheney proves it's true also.

If Chaney can hunt, how about 8-year old hunters too? Wisconsin 's Republican legislators felt it was worth the shot. In Wisconsin , current law sets the minimum age for hunting at 12 years of age. Also a child under the age of 12 may possess a firearm only if enrolled in a hunter's education class and carrying a firearm to or from the class, cased, unloaded, and under the supervision of a parent or guardian, or handling a firearm in a hunter's education class under supervision of the instructor. A child age 12 or 13 may currently hunt if accompanied by a parent or guardian. A child age 14 or 15 may hunt if accompanied by a parent or guardian or if the child holds a hunter's certificate. This reminder was published in a memo January 24, 2006 by the Wisconsin Legislative Council pertaining to 2005 Assembly Bill 586 allowing 8-year olds to hunt.

Neglected in the news media, AB 586 was originally proposed in August 2005 to reduce the minimum hunting age to "10-year olds." It provided that a child age 10 or 11 may hunt only if accompanied by a parent or guardian, or designee of the parent or guardian who is 18 years of age or older." Other specific safety measures also applied. A public hearing was even held December 1, 2005. But a week later on December 8 Republican Scott Gunderson, chairperson of the Committee on Natural Resources; and Republican Terry Moulton, vice-chairperson of the committee, offered an "amendment" to reduce the minimum hunting age even further to "8-year olds." The full committee voted approval of the amendment by a 12-2 margin on December 13, 2005. It was a good thing the Holiday Season was looming. Can't you hear the Republican auctioneers bidding, "8, we got 8; do I hear 7, going once, twice." The gavel pounds. Parents of 7-year olds gasped sighs of relief. Soon after the holidays passed and the new year had begun, word was getting out about reasons the notorious AB 586 proposal were made to allow 8-year olds to hunt to begin with.

One of the rationalisms given was because legislators feared young people are losing interest in the sport of hunting. "It's important to get kids involved in hunting at a younger age," said Rep. Gunderson. "If they are not engaged in hunting by 12 or 13, they probably won't be." The Associated Press story in the January 22, 2006 Janesville Gazette reported Department of Natural Resources (DNR) figures saying 722,803 people bought hunting licenses in 2004, down from 773,239 in 2000. However, AP noted much of the decline occurred in 2002, when "chronic wasting disease" was discovered in the deer heard. Since then the numbers have climbed in 2003 and 2004. The number of hunters has dropped 7 percent nationwide since 1991, according to DNR Chief Warden Randy Stark. "It's expected to decline even more as baby boomers quit hunting."

"The other big issue is parental rights," continued Gunderson. "This allows them to make a decision whether a child can hunt at an earlier age." However, the Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't believe having 8-year old hunters is safe, according to Dr. Tim Corden, medical director of University of Wisconsin Hospital's pediatric critical care unit. "Children obtain different skills at different ages, he said. "Their concentration and attention spans potentially pose a risk for them to be responsible and have a hunting weapon in that environment."

A Green Bay Press Gazette editorial January 25, 2006 denounced AB 586, "8-year olds too young to hunt." It raised another significant issue few legislators want to admit - money being lost with any decrease in hunters. "More than 700,000 deer hunters in the state spend close to $900 million on the hunt each year, according to a state DNR estimate." But the way to increase the numbers of hunters - if that's possible given the state's changing demographics - is not to send children into the woods before they're physically and emotionally ready, said the newspaper's editorial.

There's no shortage of opinions, both pro and con, in the ongoing statewide debate as AB 586 still travels through the legislative channels. Kenosha News ran a 2-part series by reporter Jill Rozell. In the 2 nd part published January 30, 2006 Dave Lois of Wheatland, a hunter safety teacher for 15 years, now with the Silver Lake Sportsman Club, is not in favor of the change. "I'm not against hunting, but they say the future of hunting depends on this. But I just don't buy it."

Do you think AB 586 supporters will ask vice president Dick Cheney for his endorsement? Probably not. Maybe they would have before he went hunting on Saturday, February 11 though.