i8 OUR BIG GAME 



you must shoot offhand because you cannot move 

 without endangering your shot, that it is much safer to 

 cultivate the habit by doing so always." 



I have sometimes thought that the rifleman who 

 would learn to shoot always with both eyes open, 

 even at standing game, would bag the most animals. 

 There can be no doubt that many men do shoot well 

 with both eyes open. Certain it is, in the language of 

 an old English line, "you'd better shut one eye than 

 both." For my part I take more pleasure in making 

 one running shot than in hitting a dozen or more marks 

 at rest, and I have been inclined to experiment with 

 the rifle in this direction. The shot I most enjoyed 

 seeing was made by my friend Major Tillson from a 

 horse going at full gallop at an antelope, going its 

 best in an effort to escape him. One of my own shots 

 which I recall with the most pleasure was at a small 

 bison running his best; w^hen the ball struck him he 

 pitched head over heels down hill, as rabbits often do. 

 My best shot at birds was from a running horse, w^hen 

 I killed a sage-grouse on the wing. Van Dyke, who 

 has killed hundreds of fine deer, says his best shot was 

 at a fleet jack-rabbit. At long range he landed his 

 rifle-ball on its ribs. 



Books have been written about learning to shoot, 

 but the real place to learn is in the field. I have wasted 

 a lot of balls, as a matter of practice, for big game 

 on coyotes and jack-rabbits. I learned to shoot fairly 

 well at the birds only by going where the partridges 

 and ducks were sufficiently abundant to make a big 

 bag possible notwithstanding lots of misses. 



One good rule is, "don't be afraid to shoot — because 



