Cheney himself was once peppered with shotgun pellets

Years before the vice president accidentally shot a lawyer on a Texas quail hunt, Cheney himself was on the receiving end of an errant shotgun blast during a quail outing in New Mexico, a prominent Carlsbad Republican says.

Carlsbad Mayor Bob Forrest told the Journal he doesn't know for sure who fired the shot that accidentally peppered Cheney with shotgun pellets during the late-1990s hunt that included himself, his twin brother, and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

But the senator wasn't the triggerman, Forrest said, adding he and brother Dick Forrest were among hunters firing their shotguns.
Cheney was unhurt but miffed after the peppering, Forrest said.

"It did pelt him pretty good," recalled Forrest, now 70. "He said, 'You guys watch where you're shooting!' He was very offended ...

[Click here to read the account in the Wa Po.]