IN THE MA US II. 133 



some eights, for cripples. There is a curious thing con- 

 nected with duck shooting. Hunters in flight-shooting 

 use 4's 5's and 6's ; over decoys, 5's, 6's and 7's. They 

 shoot a duck thirty-five yards over decoys with 5's or 

 6's, cripple it ; the duck swims off, is fully forty yards 

 away before they are ready to shoot it ; then they let 

 drive a charge of 8's, and although the duck is half 

 buried under the water, it is killed instantly. Here is 

 a problem to solve. If one can kill a duck swimming 

 from him at thirty-five and forty yards, merely the top 

 of its head and back exposed to view, using No. 8 shot, 

 can he not kill one flying at the same distance with the 

 same sized shot, when it presents a target eight to ten 

 times as large, with all its vital parts exposed ? Most 

 assuredly he can. You admit it, so do I ; and yet, 

 when we start out duck shooting, knowing we will 

 shoot over decoys, we will have ten shells loaded with 

 other sizes where we have one with No. 8's. Since we 

 arrived here and began placing out our decoys, and ar- 

 ranging our blind, numerous flocks and pairs have 

 started to come in, then sheered away, because they 

 saw us. This is almost invariably the case. Don't 

 feel discouraged at this, because the hunter should take 

 his time and make all preparations to suit. Discretion 

 and judgment must be used in the selection of a stand, 

 the setting out of the decoys and the building of the 

 blind. Perhaps you think I am doing a good deal of 

 talking and we are not bagging many birds. Remem- 

 ber what I am telling you, for some day you will be out 

 and not having me, or some other experienced person 

 along, these hints and instructions will then be of far 

 more benefit to you than if you bagged one hundred 

 birds to-day. Mark, south ! Red-heads ! The wind is 



