348 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS LETTER 



sudden movement and twist away out of shot, while 

 if your gun is not handy for use it may be past before 

 you can aim and fire. 



Should a fair number of birds be driven straight 

 to you, or nearly so, on no account turn round to fire 

 at any that have passed which you chanced to miss, 

 or did not notice in time to shoot at, in front of your 

 shelter. To turn right round under these circum- 

 stances is the worst thing you can do, for, whilst 

 aiming at a grouse that has passed, you cannot 

 possibly see others approaching, easy shots, perhaps, 

 which you could have killed with certainty had you 

 not been fumbling with a difficult bird behind you. 



A grouse flying to one side of you that is not in 

 shot till it has passed your shelter, or which you can- 

 not fire at till it has flown by and is clear of the next 

 gun, is another matter, as in this case there is no 

 occasion to turn right about, and after killing the bird 

 you can instantly recover your position facing to the 

 front. 



Long side shots chiefly occur when the shelters 

 are widely separated ; for if the guns are at their 

 ordinary distance apart (about sixty yards) and the 

 driven grouse fly fair to your shelter, the majority 

 of side-flying birds can be killed in front of it, though 

 they are so often allowed by a young shooter to pass 

 him before being fired at. 



A young shooter will never kill driven grouse well 

 unless he learns to shoot steadily in front of his 



