FOREST AND STREAM 
971 
Forest and Stream Is an Honorary Member of the Interstate Association for the Promotion 
of Trapshooting. 
“PREPAREDNESS.” 
By Virginius.” 
ECENTLY I lunched with a friend I had 
not seen in three years. We had been 
shooting companions quite often when 
we were in college together, and one of the first 
questions asked was “Well, did you get much 
hunting last fall?” It developed that we both 
had gone afield a number of times, and that 
neither of us had had very remarkable results, 
although we both had seen many birds. In the 
carefree days of acquiring our college “educa¬ 
tion” we were very fair wing shots, but after 
holding down jobs, and being held down by the 
same jobs, we had done less shooting, and had 
deteriorated considerably in our ability to “hit 
the bird in the nose.” 
Now there are innumerable men who never 
touch their guns until the open season appears, 
and, although they have at one time been good 
shots, they go out hunting on a few memorable 
occasions in the fall, and come home, tired, hap¬ 
py and gameless. While killing the birds is not 
the most important part of these hard earned 
holidays in the woods and fields, exhibiting a 
beautiful cock pheasant, or a few glorious wood¬ 
cock and quail to the admiring wife has a dis¬ 
tinct value; and my friend and I both swore 
solemnly that we were going to “produce” next 
fall. 
The method unanimously decided upon was to 
shoot clay birds during the summer. The man 
who has “been there” as far as being a good 
wing shot is concerned, can certainly “come back” 
if he will shoot at the traps—perhaps I should 
say shoot clay birds—because I believe that a 
hand trap properly manipulated will give better 
results than the regular stationary traps at a 
gun club. I have been shooting birds thrown 
from a hand trap, and 1 believe that the actual 
field conditions have been very closely approxi¬ 
mated. In order to get my “eye opened,” I have 
the man operating the trap stand beside me, and 
throw birds away from me. A few such shots 
get the gun working nicely, and then the oper¬ 
ator goes off to one side and throws the birds 
across the field in front of me or behind me. I 
stand with my gun in the position in which it is 
carried when I am field shooting, and the birds 
are thrown without warning. I have found that 
there is no shot thrown from the stationary 
traps that is as difficult as this cross shot. After 
I get the hang of these targets, the operator 
takes a position out in front of me, and kneels 
down to avoid being murdered. He throws the 
birds toward me on either the right or left side, 
and I assure you that these targets are mighty 
stiff propositions to connect with consistently. 
One other shot which is the most difficult of 
all is to place the operator directly behind you 
and walk away from him. The birds are either 
thrown to one side of you from behind or right 
over your head. As you have no idea when or 
where these birds will be thrown, this method 
is practise par excellence. I think I can safely 
say that I do not expect to miss many shots 
when I go out next fall. 
In fact no one should have to miss many shots 
on his fall hunting trips if he will spend—say 
two Saturday afternoons a month shooting clay 
birds. If this practise is held at the gun club 
perhaps more pleasure will be gotten from it, 
because a match with one’s friends at the traps 
is always splendid sport, and many valuable, as 
well as interesting, things are learned from the 
Sit in with any gathering of old stagers 
with the gun or rifle, and you can’t help 
coming away impressed anew with the pres¬ 
tige of Remington UMC. 
Your American sportsman has the habit of setting a 
new pace for himself—demanding quicker, cleaner 
shooting at the traps and in the field—quick to see 
and take advantage of any betterment in arms and 
ammunition. 
Results on the target range, at the traps, in the duck 
blind or the big game country—that is the test. 
Look at the men at the traps—you find that more of 
them every day are shooting “Arrow” and “Nitro 
Club” steel lined Speed Shells. 
And the men buying rifles, shotguns, ammunition 
for Vacation use— watch how many ask for Reming¬ 
ton UMC. 
In any city or town, ask for the dealer 
who supplies arms and ammunition to the 
majority of active sportsmen. You will 
be pointed to the dealer who displays the 
Red Ball Mark of Remington UMC —the 
sign of Sportsmen’s Headquarters in every 
town. 
1 he Remington Arms Union 
t Tl | Metallic Cartridge Co. 
li Largest Manufacturers of Firearms 
and Ammunition in the World 
H H Woolworth Bldg. New York Bygal 
