One Joaquin Medina of Chico, CA was out hunting squirrels on his bossman's ranch this past Monday when he opened fire on one directly overhead.
The shotgun blast allegedly dislodged a limb, which plummeted groundward, landed on his noggin, and punted him into the Great Beyond.
This being California, apparently there is some question about whether to bring in CA-OSHA and investigate it as an "industrial accident".
No doubt in the future, people squirrel hunting on the clock in Cali will have to wear safety helmets and neck braces.
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15 comments:
Was he really squirrel hunting? Did he get the squirrel? If not, I'm going to assume that the limb was actually knocked down by a cartoon coyote trying to get a cartoon roadrunner. That seems about as likely as a load of birdshot dropping a large limb.
Even the weight of a squirrel lumping from limb to limb seems more likely to knock down a branch. This guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Of course, being California, it also opens up vast new possibilities for the State's banning any weapon that is not equipped with "automatic angle-of-inclination trigger override lockout devices".
Fast Richard,
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that he was hit by a branch that was destined to drop in the next stiff breeze anyway; I just don't see a few pellets of #7 1/2 severing an oak limb several yards away either.
"I just don't see a few pellets of #7 1/2 severing an oak limb several yards away either."
That's not what they say on the Internet.
Shootin' Buddy
Some years ago, in Az., a miscreant was taking target practice with a shotgun, against a saguaro cactus. This is illegal in Az. The wounded saguaro fell forward, and smote the miscreant, killing him. Karmic justice?
wv: randst - a libertarian rant?
I suppose he might have seen that the branch was ready to fall and was trying to shoot it down.
Darwin Award.
a shotgun shell that hit a large oak limb...
That shotgun ejects its shells with way too much force.
"That shotgun ejects its shells with way too much force."
Win.
Maybe he was using the scattergun rounds they use in Hollywood that send doors flying off of hinges and blow cars up. They are low recoil to boot.
I sure would like to score a case of those.
Gerry
Rumor has it that the un-injured squirrel is suing the recently departed Mr. Medina and his employer for PTSD, along the with the manufacturers and retailers of the shotgun and ammo.
RHT447
Chico, CA
Gerry,
When I was wearing a booger suit, I REALLY wanted some of those Hollywood grenades. The ones that create a large orange fireball of complete devastation for about 30 meters, yet are perfectly safe for the thrower who is just outside the zone of total destruction.
Today, I want a box or five of 9mm handgun rounds that pick a man up and throw him out the window and across the sidewalk. And cause cars to explode if you send one into the vicinity of the gas fill door.
And a car that takes bursts of rifle rounds (ball ammo, up through 7.62mm NATO class) at close range, and the sheet metal and paint deflect them with sparks. . . leaving the clear coat apparantly undamaged. I think THAt would avoid hail and rock damage pretty well. . . screw washing it -- hit it with a sandblaster once a season!
"And a car that takes bursts of rifle rounds (ball ammo, up through 7.62mm NATO class) at close range, and the sheet metal and paint deflect them with sparks. . . leaving the clear coat apparantly undamaged."
That would be nice, but I hear Knight Industries keeps a tight lid on that paint formula.
Collecting acorns, perhaps?
I once had a .gov job where we had to shoot upper branches off "perfect" pine trees, and collect the cones for seeding tree nurseries.
A few boxes of .30-30 in a day tend to wear the shoulder down, but if we saw a pot-worthy critter along the way, well...we were on a harvesting mission, right?
what gauge was the scatter gun? I bet it was one of those nasty 2 gauges! Oh wait those arn't to be used for hunting squirrel. I better tell Rocky about that he might have a law suit! Maybe he and the Moose can get some Moneys!
Walt
Think of it as evolution in action.
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