PREFACE 
THE preface in books is an ancient and honorable 
custom. The preface originally was either an excuse 
or an explanation for the existence of the book. It 
seems a shame to retire from the scene without leaving 
behind some sort of a memento of my fifty-six years 
of shooting experience. All kinds of American game, 
from tiny sandpipers to wild turkeys and from rabbits 
to buffalo, have fallen before my gun. Perhaps this 
delight in shooting will seem strange to many people 
but after all it was only a means to an end, the enjoy- 
ment of outdoors in wild places. Occasionally large 
bags of game are made and these are the ones that are 
talked and written about. But there is just as much 
real enjoyment remembering the many pleasant out- 
ings, on foot in the stubble field, or in the duck blind, 
where the returns were only half a dozen birds or even 
less. 
This is the excuse. Now for the explanation. 
Nearly all of the sayings of both Captain Bogardus 
and Abe Kleinman were taken verbatim from my notes 
written during the trip. 
“My First Flantlock’’ is true to ‘the ‘last detaal: 
It was my split-eared pony that won the race against 
the Indian. 
The series of Bear River duck sketches recall just a 
small part of the fun I have had shooting ducks. Often- 
times there is a certain sameness in duck shooting that 
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