Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-01-31
BIRDS THAT ARE MISSED.
The Most Dimenl, sho. in the op.-

ION OF Sportsmen.
1t is fact that the crack some
times misses. and the object of this
article is to show by consensus of
expert opinion what SLOTS they are
which puzzle the men of absolutely
high rank, says the Badminton Maya
zine. Appended are quotations from
some of the views which have been
expressed by such authorities at more
Or less length:
Lord Walsingham writes: "The
most difficult shot know is bird
which comes straight over your head
at moderate height, and which, for
some reason, such as an empty gun
or thick wood close in front, cannot
be shot when approaching. You must
then turn round and shoot under the
bird as 1t is going away. II you let
| 1t 60 far 1t becomes almost impossi.
Bile. and IL you are ever SO quick;
with second gun or otherwise, you
have to calculate how far to hold be-
low the bird that 1t may fly into the
charge. the object being to put the
shot under the neck feathers, and not
| through the tail-a calculation which
is extremely difficult to make instanta.
neously. 1t comes off all right when
you know how to do It,, but l have
seen very few men who could kill
such a bird with any degree Of GER
tafnty. OF course, IL the bird is the
least on one side or the other the shot
becomes comparatively easy"
Earl de Grey thinks that a high
pheasant coming down wind with a
drop and curl is the bird that there
Is most excuse for missing and that is
oftenest missed.
The marquis of CRANKY concludes a
full expression Of his views: ION the
whole, however, 1t has always seemed
to me that a genuinely tall pheasant,
sailing with perfectly motlonless
wings, especially when curling and
possibly almost imperceptibly drop
ping in Its fight as well, is by far the
most difficult bird to kill"
Prince Victor Duleep Singh agrees
with the majority, and says: ITO my
mind, the most difficult shot is high
dropping pheasant with wind be-
hind, coming over high trees and over
the guns placed In narrow cutting
or valley. This makes 1t imperative
to take snapshot at the bird. and as
Its wings are practically motonless
one has no visible sign of Its speed.
I'm afraid express myselfvery badly;
but could show you what l mean,
for instance, at the beech tree rise at
Highclere"
Lord Ashburton writes: II think
the most difficult shot you can have is
pheasant, when about thirty-fye or
forty yards away, crossing you and
dropping from some height, with his
Tor herr wings motionless. You have,
Of course, two different allowances to
make, one for the distances and the
other for the rapidity of fall; added to
which, the wings being outstretched
and motlonless, seem to afford consid-
cradle protection. 1t Is, fortunately,
shot which does not often present
itself, but l have never yet seen
pheasants well killed under these cir
cumstances.
Mr.. Henry Stoner gives a hint:
with regard to difficult shots, I
should most certainly say high cock
pheasant in the open, flying down the
line of guns with his wings outstretch-
ed and motionless, is the most diff
cult shot know, and am sure the
best way to kill bird of this kind is
to take a snapshot at him."
Lord Westbury says: II am sorry
to be unable to plead guilty to being
a shot Of exceptional merit but I've
frequently seen shots of that descrip-
ton make very Indifferent practice on
cock pheasants dropping across the
open with outstretched wings from
very high covert into low covert be-
hind, particularly when twenty-five
yards wide, the birds having good
outside u. e., away from the shooter)
curl on. l find 1t almost impossible
to allow for the pace, the drop and
the curl. In my opinion pheasants
are, under certain conditions, the most
difficult Of ordinary game birds to kill
properly"
A. e. Claiborne Hardy: "In my opin-
ion, by far the most difficult shot is at
pheasant which has come straight at
you too low to shoot at in front; which
you turn round to, and try to take 60
ing away"
Arthur Portman considers: "Far
and away the most difficult birds to
shoot are high pheasants. the hardest
of all to kill, in my opinion, being
soaring bird coming off hill with its
wings out. These foaters are going
far faster than they appear to and, in
consequence. Judging the pace they
travel at is almost impossible when
there is no apparent movement Of the
wing. Another very hard pheasant to
kill is low bird crossing to the right
some way off,