346 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
those who shoot in the sugar country for the first time, 
that they should keep their dogs out of sugar-cane 
fields as much as possible. The cane, in harvesting, is 
cut diagonally across with a knife, thus leaving a 
stump with an edge which will cut a dog’s foot almost 
as a knife would. It is acommon matter for a dog to 
split his toes or heel on cane stumps, with the result- 
ant crippled condition, and no more work from him 
for a time. 
In Mississippi, in the midwinter season, the birds 
stay mostly in the woods. Good shooting may be had 
in the South from the middle of November to the 
first of March. Many of the Southern States have a 
longer legal open season, but the dense cover and warm 
weather make a natural limitation to the sport. The 
weather is mild, the birds are strong, and the sport is 
at its best, in the winter months of the South. 
Quail shooting, in the main, is close shooting, as to 
the ranges at which the birds are killed. Most birds 
drop within twenty-five yards, some much nearer than 
that. 
A gun weighing from 6% to 7% pounds is of ample 
weight. The 12-bore is most commonly used, though 
the 16 and 20-bores are excellent, and are preferred 
by many sportsmen. Some shooters use guns of 28 
caliber, and are enthusiastic over their work. As a 
matter of course, the smaller bores may be much lighter 
than the 12-bore. 
The 16 and 20-bores being smaller, their killing 
circle is less, though they shoot with good force in 
