THE RED DEER 
unimaginative nature, which is not necessarily a thing to be envied. On 
the other hand, to be an atrocious shot, as even Landseer admitted himself 
to be, means that the stalker has to suffer fearful mental degradation 
every time he sees a big stag and misses it; but perhaps if Landseer had 
possessed a *280 cordite rifle, he might have been accounted a good shot 
in these days. No amount of practice will make a man a good shot with 
a gun if that man has not the necessary attributes of quick judgment 
of pace and distance, good eyesight and, most of all, a sense of touch; 
but constant practice at odd seasons with big and small rifles will do 
wonders to improve shooting with the bullet, provided he shoots at natural 
objects and not at targets. 
In taking a shot you must show your head, otherwise it is not possible to 
see the object of your aim, and try and remember the following “ don’ts ” : 
Do not fire through long grass or heather in your desire to be hidden. 
Do not rest your rifle on a rock or hard substance. 
Do not fire at a deer end-on, and only at a facing one when you have had 
experience. 
In uphill shots try and lie against a rock or mound of earth, but always 
keep your left hand between the rifle and the rest. 
In downhill shots, sit up by degrees, plant the heels firmly, and rest 
the elbows on the inside of the thighs. 
With high velocity rifles it is not necessary to allow anything when 
a stag is walking. If it is trotting, the front of the shoulder should be 
aimed at, and if galloping it is necessary to borrow about six inches in 
front. 
Lord Lovat’s method of roughly calculating distance is a good one: “Up 
to eighty yards,” he says, “ the deer’s eye is to be seen distinctly; at one 
hundred yards the shape of the eye is no longer discernible, but only the 
dark line is visible. Up to one hundred and fifty the ears are plainly to be 
seen, but at two hundred they are well-nigh invisible; so, unless the ears 
are distinct, it is better not to fire.” 
When a stag is wounded, but recovers, the stalker must remain hidden 
and keep his glass fixed upon the animal, to see where it is wounded. 
If given time, the stag will soon lie down if badly wounded. At any rate, 
it is sure to make for some covert in the shape of gullies, bracken, peat 
hags or water itself, and by marking its line and finding its retreat, it 
is generally easy to make a stalk and finish it. If, on the other hand, the 
wounded animal sees its enemies, it is sure to get a fright and run until 
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