To prevent the mistaken in shooting the target, a hunter must know the figure of the target which he want to shoot. In this article you will learn how you can identify the object under many circumstances.
Nearly everyone who hunts deer does so under more or less of a nervous strain; and the greater the desire to kill, the greater this strain will be and the more often he will see deer which are not deer. He concentrates on the desired game to the exclusion of practically everything else and, through a sort of self-hypnotism, everything which he sees or hears has some bearing on deer. He sees a movement in the woods, and the first thought is of deer; and any unidentified object is apt to resemble a deer until proven otherwise. This attitude is liable to cause the hunter to shoot on impulse instead of with calm reasoning.
Often the objects which resemble deer are nothing more than illusions, and all that the hunter has to do to dispel them is to step sideways for a short distance and they will disappear. If the object is a deer, the hunter's movement will usually cause the animal to leave its position; and a running deer is easily identified.
No man should be disappointed about passing up a standing shot at a doubtful target for a shot at a running target which he is sure is a deer. Even if he should miss, there is no harm done and there are usually more deer in the woods. Furthermore, there is always the possibility that the next one he sights will be an easy shot and possibly a better trophy. Many hunters are so anxious to shoot a deer that they miss a lot of the enjoyment which should be a part of the hunt, and this very anxiety causes them to see a deer behind every bit of cover. They do not seem to realize that there are very few areas where deer may be found in such profusion that any moving object which they sight will be one. If there is any such area, we can be sure that other hunters will know about it and they will flock there in such numbers that there will be more chance of sighting hunters than there will be of sighting game. Sometimes we see deer which are partly hidden so that only a portion of the animal is visible. Perhaps we can only see the legs, part of the animal's head or some other portion of its body. Often we are sure that the object is a deer, yet positive identification is almost impossible without movement on the part of the animal or a change in position by the hunter so that a clear view of the entire animal can be obtained. It is never safe to shoot at these objects in an attempt to kill or to drive them from cover. It is much better to move towards the most advantageous spot for a clearer view, if this can be done without losing sight of the object, or by walking directly towards it, all the while keeping the gun ready for a quick shot.
I have started quite a few deer in this manner and I failed to bag some of them which I could have killed if I had been willing to take a chance and shoot at an object which I had not positively identified. At other times I have stalked objects which I suspected were deer, only to find some inanimate object at the end of the stalk. I would have felt foolish had I shot at the latter without taking the trouble to make positive identification.
A hunter must know the identification of the object that he wanted to shoot. It is better to move towards the most advantageous spot for a clearer view. |
