safety while snorkelling

This possibility has been in the back of my mind, especially while I was in Alabama...

http://www.sfgate.co.../a183905S99.DTL

Given the number of halfwits that shoot turtles for kicks in parts of the South and Midwest, this is something that we should be really careful about.

Be safe out there.
Cheers,
Dave

Or, another link to the same story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17091607/

The meth freak who did the shooting claimed he thought he saw a Nutria, and this in Oregon; no such thing, yes? At least the snorkeler is still alive. I've done seining in a river with people target shooting on the next property and that was bad enough, they seemed to be able to shoot in the opposite direction from us.

Looks like the shooter really thought it was a rodent

Looks like the shooter really thought it was a rodent

Hundred plus pound Nutria in Oregon????

Not really sure how to say this other than, methaamphetamines + hunting 5 foot plus rodents that don't exist in your state = really bad idea.

I'm a hunter and can't find a single excuse for the shooter. I mean come on....know your season and know the animal you hunt. I'd never just shoot an animal without understanding and respecting it first. Hunting isn't just shoot em' up kill anything that moves, it's all about the love of the animal and it's role in life. Where it lives, what it eats....... This guy shot a human in the water mistaking it for an enormous rodent that doesn't even live in the northwest? This should show the importance of staying away from drugs and little more. This might allow a warning for snorkelers to either arm or maybe wear blaze orange?

I hope this fellow no longer has the privelage to hunt in a sigle state in the union as well as serving time for shooting an innocent guy snorkeling.

I came across this nutria distribution information and thought I'd post it considering I was pretty firm on the fact that Nutria were not in Oregon.

I just assumed Nutria had been contained in the gulf region and will now eat my above words.

Ummm, I've lived in Oregon all of my life, and yes, we do have nutria. They get big but nowhere near 100 lbs. I'd say 20 at the most. I dont know where you are getting your information. I've even shot a few near a friends pond. I dont know if they are native or introduced, but they are here and have been for a long time.

I came across this nutria distribution information and thought I'd post it considering I was pretty firm on the fact that Nutria were not in Oregon.

I just assumed Nutria had been contained in the gulf region and will now eat my above words.

I thought I posted a map with above post.

Must have forgot.

from the AP...

cheers,
Dave

----------------
Snorkeler Shooter Sentenced to Prison
Wednesday, July 4, 2007

(07-04) 13:33 PDT Reedsport, Ore. (AP) --

A man who shot a snorkeler in the head after mistaking him for a large, water-dwelling rodent has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison.

William Roderick, 60, pleaded guilty to assault, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of marijuana and methamphetamine, prosecutor Jeffrey Sweet said.

The victim, John W. Cheesman, 44, survived the Feb. 6 shooting. The bullet from the .22-caliber rifle struck him in front of his right ear, but did not penetrate his skull. "We discussed the sentence extensively with the victim," Sweet said. "He believes it is appropriate."

Roderick was taking care of a friend's house along the Smith River southwest of Eugene when he thought he saw a nutria, a cross between a beaver and a muskrat, in the river. Roderick went inside to get the rifle, returned outside and fired at his target. "He aimed, but he did not look," Sweet said. "It was extremely reckless."

Sweet said he believes Roderick thought he was shooting at a rodent, noting that a nutria killed by Roderick a few days earlier had been found on the bank. Roderick, who immediately went to Cheesman's aid, admitted smoking marijuana about five hours before the incident, Sweet said. He was charged with methamphetamine possession after paraphernalia was found during a search of his house.

Because of a previous felony drug conviction, it was illegal for Roderick, who was sentenced Monday, to own or handle firearms. He forfeited three guns he owned and admitted handling two other weapons, Sweet said.

Cheesman, an avid diver, was in the river looking at different species of fish.