THE RIFLE ON MOVING GAME 297 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



THE RIFLE ON MOVING GAME (CONTINUED). 



THE great hindrances to successful shooting with 

 the rifle at running deer and antelope are precisely 

 the same that prevent successful wing-shooting with 

 it. Shooting at the two first is the more easy only 

 because of the greater size of the mark. But this 

 size, great though it be, does not even at quite short 

 distances permit the least carelessness in aiming. For, 

 as we have seen, such carelessness is bad enough even 

 when the game is at rest. The hindrances are: 



ist. The limited amount of time causes one to 

 raise the rifle too hastily and run his eye too hastily 

 along the sights. By which means one is almost certain 

 to take too full a front sight and thereby overshoot, 

 unless the rifle be held very low. 



2d. The fact that in three shots out of four the 

 game is moving at some angle to the line of fire, 

 thus requiring the aim to be taken ahead of the 

 mark. From this flows 



3d. The difficulty of determining how much to 

 allow for the motion of the game; and 



4th. To measure off that amount of space even if 

 you do know how much is needed; and 



5th. While doing all this and firing at the point of 

 blank space in which the game will be when the ball 

 reaches it, to preserve the proper elevation; a matter 

 difficult enough where there is no allowance to be 



