GKOCND GAME SHOOTING (PART 77) 403 



It is curious what a number of rabbits a ao<td 

 ground game shot will kill as he walks through a 

 wood, and how few another shooter close to him will 

 bag, merely because the latter does not keep his eyes 

 open and his gun ready, though he will often quite 

 innocently remark how very few shots he was 

 favoured with, and how strange it was his friend 

 near him should have been so lucky ! (In figs. 78 

 and 7 ( .) I have sketched the man who is ready for a 

 rabbit, and also the man who is not !) 



The golden rule in shooting a rabbit is to take 

 the lirst chance you have of killing him, as it is nine 

 times out of ten fatal to success to wait for a better 

 one. To shoot rabbits wdl is essentially to take snap 

 ^hots at them. Once you acquire the bad habit of 

 poking your gun after a rabbit, or of dwelling on 

 your aim, a good ground game shot you will never 

 be. 



When you see your rabbit, fire that moment ; 

 there is no reason for delay or object in waiting for a 

 better view of him (which he may not give). I do 

 not mean you are to blow a rabbit to pieces just in 

 front of your toes, but I do mean you to learn to 

 shoot a rabbit at./fY-sf sight if at a sporting range. 



Whether a rabbit is running from or crossing you, 

 invariably aim for his head the end of his nose, if 

 you ran >e it; and never Commit the enormity of 

 tiring where you think a rabbit is by the movement 

 of the leaves, as you are then more likely to wound 



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