WOODCOCK SHOOTING 



other man shoots the birds at short range 

 with a sawed-off shot-gun. 



In hunting woodcocks the lightest and 

 toughest kind of clothing is a necessity. 

 Stout, light shoes, duck hunting-trousers, and 

 a coarse-grained " hickory " shirt, with a 

 linen handkerchief in lieu of a collar, make 

 a good combination. A peaked fore-and-aft 

 hunting-cap of light duck or canvas is a good 

 thing to keep twigs and bushes out of your 

 eyes. Use a belt to hold your trousers with. 

 In thick cover a coat, however light, is too 

 hot. A dozen or so shells in your pocket will 

 be enough ammunition, and a game-carrier is 

 preferable to hold your birds instead of jam- 

 ming them into the pockets of a coat. Draw 

 the birds at once after shooting them, and fill 

 with grass. Keep them in the open air and 

 in the shade as much as possible. The gun 

 should be very light, cylinder-bored in both 

 barrels, and of twelve or sixteen gauge. Use 

 smokeless powder. Number eight or nine 

 shot is amply large. Don't forget to take a 

 dog along. Get a spaniel if you can, and 

 if not, get a pointer or a setter. A pointer 

 can stand the heat better and a setter can 

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