120 THE ANGLER AND HUNTSMAN 



"Taking first the question of small game; in recent 

 years the use of small gauges such as the 16 and 20 has been 

 constantly increasing, and under certain circumstances they 

 are very suitable and satisfactory. However, sportsmen 

 throughout the world have pinned their faith to 12 gauge 

 Winchester Repeating Shotguns, as the best all-around 

 game guns in the world, as they are suitable not only for 

 wild fowl, but for rabbits, hares, foxes, and all small game. 



"The question of suitable loads for water fowl is an 

 open one, due to the difference in the size of the game. 

 They range from the little blue wing teal, which is slightly 

 larger than a quail, up to the big sea duck, or sea coot, 

 weighing from four to five pounds, and protected by a 

 thatch of feathers about an inch thick. For teal, sports- 

 men have found ordinar}" number 8 shot satisfactory. This 

 size of shot, naturally, would have very little effect on an 

 armored cruiser of the coast like the sea coot. The goose, 

 duck and such large birds as the swan, require a heavy 

 charge of powder and large shot. For quail and grouse a 

 medium to fairly heavy load of powder, and shot sizes six 

 to eight, has been found effective. 



"The wild turkey comes in a class by himself. In 

 certain sections of the South, BB shot is used so universally 

 for this bird that it is known to hunter and storekeeper 

 alike as * turkey shot.' 



"It would be better to eliminate the coon and opossum 

 from the list of small game animals, as they are nocturnal, 

 and are usually killed with a club in any case. The skunk 

 is also nocturnal, and for other and * strong' reasons it 

 would be wisest to hunt skunk with a high-power, long 

 range rifle. 



"The fox is also a special case. In the South he is 

 hunted on horseback with dogs during certain seasons, the 

 good, old institution of the hunt still flourishing, and the 

 English sportsman's horror of shooting a fox being a very 

 real thing. In the Xorth, however, the fox is a commer- 



