Shooting from a Canoe 



be possible otherwise. If a sportsman shoots from the 

 left shoulder, the reverse of the above is, of course, the 

 correct thing. 



A canoe is so light and the centre of gravity so high 

 that the recoil of a gun has to be taken into consideration. 

 The stock should be held firmly against the shoulder, 

 and the latter member thrust slightly more forward 

 toward the game than when shooting on terra-firma. 

 In high shots this movement should be accentuated. 

 Practice will soon regulate the amount of shoulder 

 thrust necessary to offset the recoil of any particular 

 gun. If the guide calls attention to any birds that are 

 coming up astern, do not attempt to shift your seat 

 and turn around, nor place one hand on the gunwale 

 and turn. Pivot only as far as you can with head and 

 shoulders, and leave it to the guide to turn the canoe to 

 an appropriate angle. 



Thousands of words might be written listing things 

 not to do when using a gun from a canoe. But the 

 pivoting over the centre of gravity is the essential thing 

 to remember, combined with keeping the latter as low 

 as possible. With these two fundamental principles 

 always in mind, practically all dangerous mistakes will 

 be automatically avoided. 



The pictures accompanying this article are taken to 

 illustrate a few of the more common mistakes. An 

 expert wing-shot when in my canoe has been known to 

 turn suddenly and to sit upon the bow deck and shoot 

 at birds flying behind me, at imminent risk of capsizing 

 us both or shooting me. Another over-anxious " sport " 

 suddenly stood up and emptied his repeater at flying 

 ducks. Uncountable times I have had hunters swing 

 quickly to the right or left, throwing their weight on 

 the gunwale, or shift their bodies sharply to port while 

 shooting to starboard, or the reverse. In all these 



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