FOREST AND STREAM 
1143 
TEACH HER TO SHOOT 
A HEALTHFUL RECREATION FOR YOUR WIFE, 
YOUR SISTER, OR THE OTHER FELLOWS SISTER 
S HOOTING has been called a man’s sport; 
but there is less real reason to so term it 
than to call tennis, golf, or skating men’s 
sports. All these require more muscular power 
and organic endurance than does gun practice. 
In fact, shooting in itself calls for only such 
faculties and abilities as have the same poten¬ 
tiality in a woman as in a man—good eyesight, 
calm nerves and a sense of accuracy. Of course, 
adventitious elements may make shooting ex¬ 
tremely strenuous; rough going in forest and 
field, killing and handling game, a military en¬ 
vironment, etc. find favor with comparatively 
few women. But shooting per se is just as 
much a woman’s game as a man’s and many 
excellent scores in trap shooting prove it. 
If it be true that shooting is instinctive in 
humanity, the instinct is latent in most women, 
for only an occasional woman takes up the gun 
voluntarily. Though the “naturalness” of gun¬ 
ning for women may be debatable, it is unques¬ 
tionable that they like it as a sport when once 
initiated, and that the resultant benefits make for 
a high type of womanliness. 
Probably more women take up shooting to be 
with their husbands than for any other reason; 
and this, if there were no other object, would 
justify encouragement of the practice. We men 
know the lure of a shoot on holidays, but the 
only way to make the lady fair appreciate it is 
to get her to break a few “blue rocks.” Instead 
of detesting “that old gun club” she will soon be 
singing its praises and trying to outshoot the 
“mere man.” 
Though social considerations may prompt the 
beginning, the sport has a powerful grip all its 
own, and our sisters soon discover that they 
have been missing an elixir vitae of wonderful 
properties. Air and sunshine outrank all other 
cosmetics and nervines. There is just enough 
muscular exercise to bring a delightful fatigue 
and fine appetite; ennui from social functions 
and club duties as well as the irritability of the 
In Target Practice She May Wear Her Daintiest 
Things in Safety. 
By L. E. Eubanks. 
overburdened mother and housewife disappear 
before that not-to-be-denied fascination of break¬ 
ing flying targets. 
It is just this ruggedness of sportsmanship 
that so many otherwise charming women lack. 
A wife who hugs the radiator all day and keeps 
her face buried in the “best seller,” or who gives 
herself up for hours at a time to needless worry 
and subjective thinking, cannot be other than 
peevish. Take her out and teach her sport, get 
her out of herself, eradicate these pernicious 
ideas of “caste” and instill the fine old democ¬ 
racy of the gun. If there is any sportsman’s 
blood in her, selfishness and morbidness will 
disappear; she will soon see how fine it is to 
be a “good loser’ or a chivalrous winner, to be 
“one of the bunch” with something to look for¬ 
ward to every few days. 
With her, skill is not the primary object; but 
reasonable proficiency should be sought, as it 
stimulates pride and interest and prevents “back¬ 
sliding” from embarrassment. Not all our sisters 
can rival Mrs. Topperwein and Mrs. Schilling, 
no more than all men can become Gilberts or 
Germans; but to be merely a fair shot is worth 
many times the necessary effort. Familiarity 
with a gun may be valuable knowledge some 
day; it is particularly desirable with all this war- 
talk buzzing in the air. 
If your wife or sister (or the other fellow’s 
sister) is particularly fastidious about her ap¬ 
pearance, you will make a big point in showing 
that unbecoming clothes are not at all essential 
to target shooting. In hunting, a woman has to 
get “mussed up” a bit,' but in target practice she 
may wear her daintiest things with perfect 
safety. Of course, you and I know that when 
the great sport gets its grip on her she’ll forget 
whether she’s wearing a silk waist or a sweater; 
but at the beginning every favorable argument 
will be useful. The mark of the gun-butt against 
the shoulder may be prevented by covering the 
waist at this point with a removable piece of 
cloth; also, there is a manufactured article for 
this purpose, a kind of stall that fits over the 
gun-butt. If you care to encourage their use, 
there are “nifty” shooting costumes that might 
add to the game’s attractions for her. 
But with all this ground won, she yet has to 
be introduced to the gun. You must go about 
this discreetly and patiently, or your wife will 
give up before she gets started. Probably the 
best plan is to have her use a 22-caliber rifle 
equipped with a silencer, while she is getting 
used to a gun and learning the proper positions. 
The silencer, doing away with the hoise and 
lessening the recoil, “refines” the business for her 
and allows better opportunity for the develop¬ 
ment of correct gun habits. Then when she 
takes up a shotgun, habituation to the recoil 
will come quickly, and she will have the incen¬ 
tive to persevere that she wouldn’t have had be¬ 
fore making any progress. Still further, the use 
of a silencer makes home practice more prac¬ 
ticable; and shooting at stationary targets is the 
logical antecedent of the wing and trap-work. 
Choose for her a fairly heavy shotgun, with a 
rather liberal drop. Though a 12-guage is a 
little heavier for her to hold, the difference be¬ 
tween it and a 16-gauge is more than counter¬ 
balanced by the lighter recoil of the former. Mrs. 
Schilling, champion among the Pacific Coast 
Hugging the Radiator All Day, Reading ‘‘Best 
Sellers", Will Never Give Poise and 
Grace Like This. 
women, stands less than five feet in height and 
weighs but ninety-five pounds, yet she handles 
a 12-gauge with dexterity and effect. 
Teach your pupil to use both eyes. Binocular 
shooting is the correct system and she probably 
will adopt it of her own accord. You have a 
blank paper and a chance to inscribe an enviable 
record; in this respect, a raw pupil is to be 
preferred to one with “some experience.” There 
are no stubborn faults to correct, and the in¬ 
structor has only to show the correct method. 
The teaching is altogether positive, with the 
average run of women and they learn more 
rapidly than is generally believed. 
Another point you should emphasize at the 
beginning is the value of flexibility at the waist. 
Teach her to swing the body gracefully with the 
gun and not depend on jerking the piece spas¬ 
modically from place to place with the arms 
while holding her body rigid. 
Elucidate the psychological phase of the art, 
showing that successful wing shooting must be 
learned between trials—but studying out the ra¬ 
tional, and correcting the mistakes of preceding 
work-outs. 
Above all, have the board of encouragement 
ever ready. Our women are considerably more 
sensitive than we, and are particularly quick to 
notice a slight when in a strange environment. 
Explain away her failures and make corrections 
by the suggestive method. Companionship is 
your aim, skill is of secondary importance; so 
do not let your own prowess and enthusiasm for 
the game cause unkindness to your best chum. 
Be impartial in dealing with your “two loves.” 
