. Guns and gunning. ot-ing in certain particulars. Where rifle shooting ismethodical calculation and precision, shotgun shoot-ing is guesswork and quickness. When a grousethunders upward through the autumn leaves, thesportsman has a dim blur, occasionally completelyhidden, for a target. Sometimes he knows wherehe aims, but usually he pulls the trigger when he feels the gun is pointing correctly. If a companion pulls down a high, strongflying mallard, and you ask him how much he ledthe bird, he will answer: about six feet; but hedid not really measure the distance when he shot,but discharged hi
. Guns and gunning. ot-ing in certain particulars. Where rifle shooting ismethodical calculation and precision, shotgun shoot-ing is guesswork and quickness. When a grousethunders upward through the autumn leaves, thesportsman has a dim blur, occasionally completelyhidden, for a target. Sometimes he knows wherehe aims, but usually he pulls the trigger when he feels the gun is pointing correctly. If a companion pulls down a high, strongflying mallard, and you ask him how much he ledthe bird, he will answer: about six feet; but hedid not really measure the distance when he shot,but discharged his gun when he feU that the gunwas aimed correctly. This guess-work or judg-ment enters largely into shotgun shooting. Manymen shoot with both eyes open, paying more atten-tion to the mark than to the gun. One celebrated Western wildfowler shoots aseasily from the waist, or hip, as he does from theshoulder. Shooting, with him, is a feeling,^ he has notheories. When he feels his gun is pointing right,he cuts loose. 37. The beginner must paddle his own canoe inlearning to shooL He must practice faithfully, andtrust in his own judgment; as no one ever learnedto shoot from reading books. One thing is abso-lutely essential for good shooting, and that is a gunthat fits the gunner perfectly. Men are built on somany different patterns that one gun will not suitevery one. Your gun should be so balanced that when youput it to your shoulder it will come up exactlyon the mark eumed at. The only good rule inwing shooting is to keep your gun moving lutth thebird until after you shoot. If you have a cross shot at a fast-flying birdyou will aim sometimes ahead of it. If you stopswinging your gun for a fraction of a second, on pull-ing the trigger the chances are that you will shootbehind the bird. As ducks are said to attciin aspeed of over 75 miles an hour, one can readilyunderstand the importance of swinging the gunevenly, and the slightest delay in pressing the triggerwill cause a miss. In u
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