. The American sportsman : containing hints to sportsmen, notes on shooting, and the habits of game birds and wild fowl of America . spot. The head and neck are the portions we should alwaysendeavor to hit, as a single pellet of shot lodged in these portionsof the body will do as much execution as a half-dozen imbedded inthe breast or other fleshy parts. To accomplish this, many cir-cumstances must be taken into consideration, and must be run overin ones mind at a moment when there is not a second to ponderon the subject. For example, we should be able to tell at a glancethe probable distance
. The American sportsman : containing hints to sportsmen, notes on shooting, and the habits of game birds and wild fowl of America . spot. The head and neck are the portions we should alwaysendeavor to hit, as a single pellet of shot lodged in these portionsof the body will do as much execution as a half-dozen imbedded inthe breast or other fleshy parts. To accomplish this, many cir-cumstances must be taken into consideration, and must be run overin ones mind at a moment when there is not a second to ponderon the subject. For example, we should be able to tell at a glancethe probable distance the ducks are from us, their height, the velo-city with which they are flying, the course they are pursuing, &; for without a just appreciation of all these particulars weshall be very apt to shoot over them, under them, before them, orbehind them. This kind of rapid mental calculation, though very CANVAS-BACK. 347 troublesome at first, will soon become a kind of intuitive habit bypractice, and the gun will be found almost of itself to take theproper direction, seemingly unguided by any special will of FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. Never shoot at ducks as they are coming towards you; wait tillthey are on a line with your person, or till they have passed you,as it is almost impossible for shot to penetrate through the thickplumage of a duck when presented in this position. As the ducksare approaching, raise your gun, take sight on them, and followthe foremost with the eye and weapon until they come immedi-ately overhead, or rather in a line parallel with your body; thenslide the gun with a quick motion a short distance in front ofthe flying column, being careful, however, to preserve its rangedirectly in their course, and fire without stopping the motion ofthe arm. The distance which the gun is thus thrown before the ducks de-pends entirely upon their probable distance from the shooter, thevelocity with which they are fiying, and the other points alreadyalluded to abov
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjecthunting, bookyear1885
