The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-27
SHOOTING THE HUNTER.
HOW IGNORANCE AND RICK
 LESSNESS
Have Taken Ghe place of spOrtsman- ship, and Danger FoIIOws-COmpIete Generalization.

Have Taken Ihe place of spOrtsman-
 ship, and Danger FoIIows-COmpIete
 Generalization.
 One of the greatest problems Ameri- can sportsmen have ever had to con- front is the question of what can be done to stop the shooting of men by persons who mistake them for game Of course, men have been mistaken for game and killed in all countries, every year, perhaps, since game has been pur- sued for food or for fun, with arrows, spears or bullets. But in the United States the number of these unfortunate affairs has increased steadily every au- tumn for several years-in spite of the warnings printed in the sportmen's press, and in the daily papers as well, all of which have devoted to novices about to go into the woods to shoot large game columns of advice.
 Only one sort of accident is here re- ferred to, the nasty shooting of one man by another, who aims at cap or a coat that looks to him like game; who does not hesitate long enough to make sure of the identity of the object of his aim but fires into the bush that moves, at an object fitting past an opening of the forest, or at something wavering in the grass. In a country like this, where every man may carry grearms without obtaining permit or license, there must of necessity be many accidents with Ia Iaa faf nf sons being accidentally shot with fire arms. Every day, too, during the au- tumn game shooting season, persons are either killed or injured while care lessly handling guns in woods and fields. They shoot themselves or their companions, by carrying loaded guns in wagons, to be prematurely discharged; by pulling guns out of boats muZzle for ward; in climbing over fences-in short, accidents. in the fullest sense of the term. Such accidents are, for the most part, due to neglect of the simplest pre- cautions, and may be avoided, it seems, only by steering clear of persons known to disregard the common rules of safe ty.
 In some parts of the south deer are hunted with hounds and killed with shotguns loaded with buckshot by mounted men, who ride through the woods or who stand beside the runways the game is known to follow in it's at tempts to escape the hounds; but else where the rife is generally the weapon employed.
 Twenty years ago the single shot rifle of large calibre was the chosen weapon of big game hunters, in the woods, as well as on the plains. Many of these rifles had double set triggers, made to go at a slight touch, and fine sights They were tried out at the arrget at distances ranging from twenty to one hundred yards, and no owner of one was satisfied with it if it would not group ten shots almost as closely as a target rife. He desired two kinds of cartridges-one that could be depend- ed upon to knock a deer down in it's tracks up to one hundred yards, or fur ther, and break any bone it struck; the ,other to be accurate at ten to twenty yards, and to be used for clipping off a grouse's head and leave the body in fit condition for camp meat. Of course, the owners of such rifles were men of experience in woodcraft and in hunting game. They loved the woods fondly, and made the search for game a matter of skill, not luck. Having but one shot to deliver, without reloading, they were very careful in their stalking. fitting through the woods like shadows when necessary remaining absolutely quiet when not On finding trail they could follow it until the game was sighted And when they saw something in the bushes move they studied it carefully and calmly, weighing all the chances, holding their fire until that thing re- solved itself into either game or hu- man being.
 If the former, they took deliberate aim and placed the bullet as near the most vital spot as was within the scope of human possibility; if man. they called cheeriIy to him, and said: T came near shooting you in mistake for "a buck" These men wore clothing which harmonized with their surround ings They studied this important thing, and would wear nothing that 8 deer could be suspicious of. Their guides-when they employed any-were of necessity woodsmen who were even better versed in wood lore than they were, else they were no guides. The camp keepers were often men who trapped for the market during the win- ter and who were glad to accommodate hunter now and then and charge him nominal fee for his bed and board.