This story is stranger than fiction: PGA Tour Pro Tripp Isenhour intentionally killed a bird by hitting golf balls at it and now faces charges for animal cruelty.
Apparently Isenhour, another in a long line of professional golfers I have never really heard of, is good enough—or at least popular enough—to warrant his own TV special: an episode of "Shoot Like A Pro."
Man, if ever the name of that program was appropriate, right? Geez. "Shoot Birds Like A Pro" is more like it.
Anyway, Isenhour kept getting frustrated at this red-tailed hawk that was squawking about 300 yards away. Seems they had to do multiple takes because the bird was so loud.
Don't you hate that? When you're filming a golf special and a large bird keeps screaming so loudly that you have to do take after take after take? Me too.
So Tripp (real name: John Henry—yeah, I'd go by Tripp too) got so upset that he started hitting golf balls toward the hawk. Of course, being so far away, he didn't come close.
But later, after they'd changed locations for another shot, the bird was only about 75 yards away and still making too much noise for nature-hating Isenhour. He reportedly said to the crew around him, "I'll get him now,” and fired another few shots at the bird, one of which struck it in the head. The hawk fell to the ground with blood coming out of its nostrils and died.
You can't make this stuff up people.
Now, there are many angles to this story that I want to cover.
First, this is a horrible shame. I have bird-watching relatives who would be crushed by this news. The red-tailed hawk is a protected migratory species, hence the criminal charges. This guy will—and should—face all kinds of scorn and resentment for this action. No question about it. All humor aside, it's sad that this man killed this animal in such a needless and cruel way.
That being said, good grief on the blame-game people. From the article:
"He just kept saying how he didn't think he could have hit it, which I think is a stupid thing for a PGA Tour golfer to say," said Jethro Senger, a sound engineer at the shoot. "He can put a ball in a hole from hundreds of yards away, and here he is hitting line drives at something that's, I don't know, a couple hundred feet away?"
What?! Are you freaking kidding me? Jethro has clearly never played golf. Exactly how easy does he think it is to make a hole-in-one, let alone a hole-out from "hundreds of yards away?"
Pick a target 75 yards away from the tee, make that target about a foot tall and about six inches wide, and ask every pro golfer in the world to hit it with a golf shot. I think you'd be lucky to have even one of them hit the target with their ball, but Jethro makes it sound like golfers are Special Forces Snipers, for Pete's sake. It's so very tempting to make a joke linking Jethro's name to his ignorance, but I won't.
Oh crap, guess I just did.
16 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Anonymous about 1 year ago
Not a bad article, but I do take issue with a couple of your statements.
"Call it what it was: a lucky shot. A tragic, unexpected, lucky shot. However evil you think Isenhour is for this act of animal cruelty, there is no way on God's green earth that he really thought he could hit that bird." If Isenhour had only taken one shot I might agree, but a pro golfer taking shot after shot IS trying to hit that bird and he said that.
"Anyway, golfers everywhere should take heed. Any errant shot into the woods could end up killing wildlife, and you could end up facing charges." I'll assume you are being sarcastic because that is just a ridicules statement; there is bid difference between an accident and intent... something lilke a $10,000 difference.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
I would love to see a UFC fighter taking shots at this asshole's head. Throw him in jail/ prison, he could be cellmates with Mike Vick.
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Jeremy Scott about 1 year ago
I totally agree that he was trying to hit the bird. He did say as much. My point there was that the odds of hitting something you're aiming for 75 yards away with a golf shot are very, very slim... no matter how good you are. If they weren't long odds, then every single pro would be sinking their approach shots on every hole.
And yes, I was being sarcastic there at the end. I don't think an accidental errant shot that hit an animal would be grounds for charges to be filed.
Thanks for commenting everyone.
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Jason Elkins about 1 year ago
I can see his whole crew laughing as Isenhour was hitting the golf ball towards the hawk...only to be shocked when he actually hit it.
I remember a story of a kid killing a goose on a golf corse with a club by beating it to death. I definitely think THAT kid should be punished. I don't feel the same about Isenhour though, I can't imagine that he actually thought he would kill the bird...He probably expected to hit the tree or if he was REALLY lucky, the limb that the hawk was on, to scare it away.
I feel sorry for the bird and a bit sorry for Isenhour's lack of good judgment.
Great story,
Jason
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steve panzel about 1 year ago
leave it to a red neck..I will shot him in the head if I see him..tired of the abuse torwds defenseless animals..if the hawk bothered you..move or put muffs on..asshole and a half..dont come to doral
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Leroy Goe about 1 year ago
Learn to use proper grammar you dumb shit.
Just remember this about God's little animals...you can't grill it, till you kill it!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
what he did was wrong, but you people take it to another degree. Go ahead, try to kick this guys ass, it would be good reason to arrest you asshole animal loving freaks and haul you off to jail, so you get taken by the real animals who are locked up.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Oh poor defenseless animal....give me a freaking break. The guy was trying to scare the bird out of the tree and ends up hitting it...oh well.
And why didn't the treehugger who turned him in try to stop Isenhour on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th ...10th shot? But now he regrets it? What a d-bag.
Another example of the media jumping on a stupid story.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
wow...
HE took the shots, to me that shows INTENT. He killed the bird, it being endangered and protected that makes it CRIMINAL. And yes I do love animals and think this IDIOT should pay the price. What he did was irresponsible and thoughtless. Shame on those around that did not have the courage to speak up.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
How about someone hits golf balls at this idiot. What a jerk. I hope he gets the full penalty of the law and he is shunned much the same as Michael Vick. His apology is so hollow. Just like his soul.
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Zachary Schiff about 1 year ago
If his rectum ended up on the business end of a 9-iron, I would laugh.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
He continued to hit balls at full speed and said "I'll get him now". He made an apology and said that he had rescue cats to prove he wasn't an animal hater. The police report said another person ran to the bird when it fell...not him. I'm thinking that if he wants to make some apologies, he better be donating some big time money to some animal rescue. Being a pro means that he very likely could hit the bird. You don't point a gun in a direction you don't intend to shoot. He had to know that he COULD hit the bird. We'll see how well that show does now.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Many golf courses - especially in europe - train dogs to kill and drive away geese and other pests from courses. Unfortunately Tripp had to take things into his own hands. If you've ever played golf, you know that it was a lucky shot even if out of 100 to hit the bird. And again, let's remember it's just a bird and it's not worth ruining a person's life or career over. A fine and the thrashing he's taking from the animal rights crazies should do the trick.
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robert isenhour about 1 year ago
Hey asshole, tripp isenhour is my God father and uncle, i really dont appreciate talking about him like that. All yall are is a bunch of liberal yankees that dont have any thing else to do but harass somebody for killing a stupid bird on accident. Our whole family hates you. and hope you go to hell.
SO FUCK OFF .... STUPID LIBERALS .....
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jo so 11 months ago
Republican asshole golfer I am willing to bet he is an asshole Republican loser by the way
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robert isenhour about 1 year ago
If you ask me, if you're making such a big deal over all this shit with endangered species or whatever. then why dont you make it clear to the public what is endangerd and what is not. cause im telling you right now, any thing that comes in my yard, in any point in time, and i have my 12 guage handy. i dont give a shit if its a humming bird or an eagle. ill shoot the damn thing. and you cant do a damn thing about it. he just did it at the wrong place at the wrong time, thats all.
SOO ONCE AGAIN FUCK YOU,
NOW I GOTTA GO SHOOT SOME BIRDS ... YOU BETTER PRAY FOR EM.
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