504 DUCK SHOOTING. 



the lesson of experience, and must strive to profit by 

 each shot, whether he hits or whether he misses. 



It will often happen that the gunner will see feathers 

 fly from the hinder part of the crossing duck at which 

 he has shot, and from this he knows that he is shooting 

 too far behind. Sometimes he will aim at a duck, and 

 missing it, will kill one flying several feet behind it. 



Yet such a chance may mislead him, for, as shown on 

 an earlier page, he may possibly have hit the first bird 

 with the first pellets of the charge and killed the second 

 with the last pellets. Yet if I were going to give advice 

 to a young duck shooter as to how to hold on his birds, 

 it would consist of these three rules : 



1. Hold ahead. 



2. Hold further ahead, and 



3. Hold still further ahead. 



It will be found that the most experienced shooters, 

 whether at ducks or at the trap, are never afraid of 

 holding too far ahead. What they fear is that they 

 will shoot behind their birds. Judgment must be used, 

 of course. One does not shoot at a gentle incoming 

 bird as he does at one sweeping by in full flight. He 

 must be observant and must try to learn just what the 

 efifect of each shot is. Much may be inferred from 

 those shots fired at birds flying low over the water, 

 where the relation of the shot on the water to the pass- 

 ing bird can be clearly observed. He should try to see 

 and to remember all that he does, and many of his shots 

 will convey to him a lesson. He should remember all 

 these lessons, and try to profit by them. 



