124 UPLAND SHOOTING. 



feed. The hunter is in a good cover of long grass. The 

 frost has not touched it yet. He can let the ducks come 

 quite close to him. I need not give the old duck-shooter 

 any instructions he has "been there" too many times; 

 but the novice wants to be careful, and not move too 

 quickly. Let the first duck get nearly over yon. Bring 

 the gun quickly to your shoulder, glance along the 

 barrels, and if the duck is not more than twenty-five 

 to thirty yards away, lead him from six inches to one 

 foot; touch the trigger, and, as soon as possible, take 

 aim at the other duck. It will, when you shoot the first 

 one, go towering up into the air, and you can shoot 

 directly at it. If you have held your gun as I have told 

 you, you have killed both birds. Let the dog go after 

 them as quickly as possible, as there may be more ducks 

 flying toward you. When you have shot at the first 

 duck, never stop to see whether you have killed it or not, but 

 shoot directly at the other duck. Load your gun at once, 

 and be on the lookout for more birds. Your dog having 

 retrieved the birds, make him lie down beside you. You 

 soon see another bunch of ducks coming. Keep down. 

 They look quite close. You think you will shoot. You 

 bring your gun to your shoulder. The ducks go towering 

 up. Yon shoot, but discover you have shot too far. 

 Ducks look large when coming directly toward one. In a 

 wild rice marsh most of the ducks will come near enough 

 if you will let them. 



While you are mourning over your bad judgment in 

 shooting too quickly, your companions start up a large 

 flock of blue-wing teal from the marsh below you. They 

 shoot, and on the birds come toward you, at the rate of 

 eighty or ninety miles an hour. They are just above the 

 tops of the reeds. How they do come! Now be careful! 

 When they are close enough, shoot at the first bird, and 

 lead it three or four feet. You will be surprised to see 



