INLAND DUCK-SHOOTING. 133 



pleasant, the ducks will not fly much after 9 o'clock. 

 Sometimes the ducks fly well after 2 or 3 o" clock in the 

 afternoon, and some good shooting may be had. 



Soon after the first of October comes the finest of all 

 duck-shooting — shooting on a pass. If there is any 

 place where a shooter enjoys himself, it is on a good duck- 

 pass, on a cool October day, with company enough to 

 make it interesting — such a pass as there was at Spirit 

 Lake, or at Ruthven, ten years ago, where the ducks 

 flew day after day for five or six weeks. 



Pass-shooting is the most difficult of all duck-shoot- 

 ing. Most of the ducks fly very fast when they are over 

 the land, and the shooter who kills three ducks out of 

 five on a pass does fine work. It is the place to test a 

 gun. The gun must be a strong shooter, or it will be of 

 no use, as most of the ducks are killed fifty or sixty 

 yards away. Many a sportsman who thought he was a 

 fair shot has been surprised at his shooting on a pass. 

 Shot after shot, and no ducks fall And why is it ? The 

 greatest trouble is, he has shot behind the ducks. He 

 has not learned to judge of the distance or the speed of 

 the fast-flying ducks. He can hardly be made to believe 

 that the ducks are flying from seventy to one hundred 

 miles an hour. With a cold north wind, and the ducks 

 flying with it, it is difficult for the oldest duck-shooters 

 to estimate their speed. 



The sportsman on a duck-pass will need a No. 1 

 retrieving dog — a dog that is hot afraid of cold ice-water, 

 a quick swimmer, one that is able to catch a wounded 

 duck should it fall into the water. 



When the shooter brings down his duck, the dog 

 should go after it at dnce, as many ducks that drop in 

 cold water may be only slightly wounded, and if the dog 

 does not get hold of them quickly, will recover sufficiently 

 to dive and get away. 



