334 UPLAND SHOOTING. 



afternoon, and lying on my back, with my feet to the 

 decoys. I caught sight of a flock of twenty or more 

 coming into the field directly toward me, and in line with 

 the direction in which I was lying. After coming to 

 within a 100 yards or so of the decoys, they suddenly 

 stopped, and there they hung in mid-air, neither advanc- 

 ing nor receding. After watching their strange actions for 

 a moment or two, I became satisfied that there was some- 

 thing unusual behind and beyond me to cause it, and 

 cautiously raising and turning my head, I looked around. 

 There sat a boy on a mule, not fifty yards away, evidently 

 waiting to see me kill some of those geese. I told him, in 

 language more forcible than elegant, that I would like to 

 have him make himself scarce, which he did in a hurry; 

 and he had no sooner left the field, when the geese, which 

 must have seen me when I raised up to read the riot act 

 to the boy, came right into th^ decoys, and I bagged a 

 couple of them. 



No, I do not always dig a pit. In fact, I rarely dig 

 one. While much more effective shooting can be done 

 from a pit, it is considerable work to make one large 

 enough for practical purposes, and unless I am positive 

 that the field selected will be visited by enough flocks to 

 pay for the work, I do not use the shovel. If I can not 

 find a likely hiding-spot on the edge of a field, I select 

 the next best location in the stubble, and, with a titmble- 

 weed or two and a little old hay or straw, manage to fool 

 'em completely. It is a fact, nevertheless, that this 

 manner of shooting has its disadvantages, particularly to 

 one unaccustomed to goose-shooting. In shooting from 

 such a position, it is absolutely important that the 

 shooter lie as motionless as the stubble which surrounds 

 him as the geese approach, never moving a muscle until 

 the right moment comes to arise and shoot. When the 

 geese come in from one certain direction, this is not a 



