Oregon man shot in head while snorkeling

[Doc Harry]

I wonder if this was a translated 'get off my damn lawn' thing.

My thoughts, too.

As a native westerner, I know that the western USA is known for "Land Rights" fanatics who are very touchy when it comes waterway use.

We'll see where this leads.

 

[Rick Murchison]

I'm originally from West Tennessee. They have them around Pickwick. Nasty little rodents. :light:

Even my updated map needs updating then.
Having read the whole thread, I don't see any reason to disbelieve the shooter. He thought he was "plinking" with his .22... he wasn't exactly sure what that was on the surface, but figured it must be a nutria - never dawned on him it could be a person until after the fact.
Stupid - yes.
Probably criminally stupid (not even counting the possession of gun & drugs violations) - yes.
Surprising?
Now that I read the whole thing... not really.
I see criminally stupid stunts on the road nearly every day.
As a side note, it still appears the victim was swimming alone, which ain't exactly wise, either, in my opinion.
Rick

 

[LI Diver]

There is something very empowering about cold-water/cold-weather diving. Afterward you feel quite proud of what you've pulled off. You definitely feel a little more rugged than you did before. It puts some distance between you and the modern sliky-boy crowd.

-Ben

Yup, silky boy thats me! Nothin like a rugged PNW man with his ears flakin off from frost bite.
Edit: oops did you say sliky or did you mean silky??? It's ok the brain freeze will wear off!

Only jokin of course, it's a terrible thing and I wish a speedy and full recovery to the poor man who was shot. Ed

 

[Digger54]

See how there aren't any in Tennessee? That's 'cos down here, if it has fur and moves, we shoot and eat it. "A Country Boy Can Survive"

Digger, why did they arrest Grizzly Adams?

I thought it was one of the Z.Z. Top guys!?

 

[Zak OHara]

Even my updated map needs updating then.
Having read the whole thread, I don't see any reason to disbelieve the shooter. He thought he was "plinking" with his .22... he wasn't exactly sure what that was on the surface, but figured it must be a nutria - never dawned on him it could be a person until after the fact.
Stupid - yes.
Probably criminally stupid (not even counting the possession of gun & drugs violations) - yes.
Surprising?
Now that I read the whole thing... not really.
I see criminally stupid stunts on the road nearly every day.
As a side note, it still appears the victim was swimming alone, which ain't exactly wise, either, in my opinion.
Rick

Just a side note. This guy (shooter) has changed his story multiple times. 1st it was a seal, then it was a nutria etc... IMO he is trying to find the right story with the least amount of repercussion. I am not the fish and game, but I think it is illegal to shoot these animals where he was anyway.

I personally do not sympathize with gun wielding drug addicts. I don't care what he thought he was shooting; at the end of the day he shot my friend.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Zak,

I totally agree. I may be in someone's sights sometime, as may just about any diver in Oregon.

For those of you wondering what there is to see in the Oregon rivers in winter, I offer these two photos from my collection. They both were taken in the North Umpqua River, which runs clear when it's not flooding, as does the Wilson River. In the spring, there is mating of all sorts going on in the rivers, of both salmonids and the other fish. These little guys hatch, and are very small (1/2 inch when you can start seeing them). By the time winter comes along, these juveniles have grown (if they survive) to a size that can be photographed. That is what we see in the first photo of a juvinile Umpqua Northern Pike Minnow.

The other photo is of resident a three-spined stickleback. I basically re-tooled my underwater photography equipment in the 1980s to get a Canon F-1 with a macro lens to get these kinds of photos. But this was taken with my older Nikonos II and a 1:3 macro ring, with a hard framer. I found that in the winter, when these fish are hungry and cold, I could frame them much easier than in the summer (when it was basically impossible).

Both of these photos were taken in the December-February range of time, and both in the North Umpqua River about 10 minutes from my home at the time.

Zak, we keep John Cheesman in our prayers, and continue to hope for his full recovery.

John

 

[Zak OHara]

Thanks John.

It's actually John Cheesman not Chessman. I think the media is starting to get it right.

 

[Jcsgt]

Link to this morning's update regarding victim's recovery:

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2007/02/10/a1.snokeler.0210.p1.php?section=cityregion

 

[RS]

Originally Posted by nymbus
nutria. And yes, they were originally raised as a fur source close to beaver. It was quickly discovered that once the fur was removed from the animal, it would decompose- not like beaver fur at all. Nutria were then released into the wild where they have (seemingly) survived off of frat house garbage since.
The only known predator I can think of: a meth addict with a gun.

-Karin

They did try to solve the decomposing fur problem by keeping the Nutria alive. They'd glue 'em together. This led to the very short lived "live-nutria" fur coat and hat fad of the late '80s. But the little critters were too distracting and the trend quickly faded. Curiously they were quite popular among pistol-totin crank-heads.

Also hoping your friend has a quick and complete recovery and can again enjoy all the things he desires.

R

ps thx haze diver.
__________________

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Well, for a very bad situation, this part of the news is good. I'm thankful that it is not a worse situation. I wish John Cheesman well, and hope for his full recovery.

John