5 8 SHOOTING THE DUCK 



our own day may be either natural or artificial. 

 Though live birds are probably much the better, few 

 gunners care to take the trouble entailed by using 

 them. Of the different artificial decoys none is so 

 attractive as the simple wooden model carefully 

 painted to resemble the plumage of the bird the 

 only recommendation of flat decoys is their port- 

 ability; but as half a dozen of the other kind can 

 be comfortably carried in a bag slung over one's 

 shoulder, this does not count for much. Not fewer 

 than three decoys, preferably double that number, 

 should be used, and they should be anchored 

 within a yard or so of one another. Decoys some- 

 times prove very killing in hard weather when duck 

 are being kept on the move in the district. The 

 gunner is, of course, concealed in his pit or blind. 

 He should have if possible two guns at hand, and 

 if, as they ought to be, his decoys are within 

 twenty yards of him, he will not so very infre- 

 quently have the opportunity of using all four 

 charges. Decoys may often be made to do good 

 service at flight-time when the birds come in early, 

 or when there is a moon. During light nights they 

 will frequently serve the bag well if used on a pool 

 on the saltings. 



A blind, to be fully effective, must approximate 



