Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

i82CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTleaden gray (the "blue" coat of autumn and winter)of no particular shape. The spot may seem fairly vaporous,like fog. Of course if the animal moves, youw^ill see it, but probably not until it is sneakingstealthily but swiftly away. Then there are treesin the way, and brush; your footing may not besecure; the light may be shining in your eyes; and,with it all, you must shoot quickly, or lose the opportunity.Under such circumstances it is absurdlyeasy to miss a full-grown deer at twenty paces. Sotry to see the game before it sees you. Quite likelyyou won't; but if you have maneuvered againstthe wind so that the animal has not caught yourscent, it may stay quietly hidden, trusting in thecover of the shrubs, or it may hesitate long enoughfor you to raise your gun before it moves.Running Shots.—A deer does not gallop unlessa dog is after it. When fleeing from a man it commonlygoes at an indescribably easy and gracefullope, varied at every few bounds by a high, longleap. It does not seem to be exerting itself, yet itgoes pretty fast. Having got out of the immediateneighborhood, it subsides into a trot or amble, andthen stops, looks backward, and scents the air, tofind if it is pursued.Now a deer on the jump is hard to hit. Thepoints to be observed are :To be as alert at all timesas though you were hunting grouse without a dog;to get your gun in position the instant that you seethe game; to pick out, as quick as lightning,a clearspace through which to fire; but, above all things,not to shoot until you are absolutely certain that itis game you are shooting at; and then to dwell onthe aim just long enough to see your bead clearlyand to hold for a vital spot. Beyond that, do nothesitate the fraction of a second. To give a novicean idea, I would say that three or four seconds isa fair average interval between raising the rifle andfiring, when a deer has been jumped in the forest.It isnot so much the hands, but the eyes and brain,that must be quick, very quick.