164 DEER-STALKING 



has ever heard of bottle fever? (except in a sense 

 outside the scope of this work). Snapping caps, or 

 unloaded cartridges, is much better practice than 

 firing at a mark. One great fault in shooting at deer 

 is the notion that, when you have taken careful aim, 

 all you have to do is to pull the trigger. But there 

 are different ways of pulling the trigger. There is no 

 use talking of a gentle gradual pull or squeeze, in the 

 language of the army musketry instructor. The pull 

 of the weapon used in the army is very different from 

 that of a sporting rifle. And yet there should be no 

 jerk. I found the safest corrective against this fault 

 was to try to get hold of the idea, and when got 

 hold of to retain it, that the operation of firing was 

 not concluded when the trigger was pulled, and that 

 the eye should be kept fixed on the foresight until 

 time is allowed for the crack of the bullet to reach the 

 ear. This is done in an instinctive way when firing 

 at a long range say 150 yards ; why should it not be 

 done when the object is half that distance ? As a 

 matter of fact, the closer the deer is the greater is the 

 tendency to jerk the trigger. Now nothing teaches 

 the beginner to keep his eyes open and pull without 

 the objectionable jerk better than practising with 

 blank cartridge. If he must fire ball at something, 

 and cannot get the chance of hinds in winter, let him 



