for the past 80 years. They bring in new blood
and keep the breeds up on their feet and going.
Same holds true for the people interested in
springers and cockers, in fox and coon hounds, or
beagling, for that matter. Any kind of dog trials
helps keep the respective breeds up in good shape
and guarantees the American hunter a good sup
ply of well bred dogs that know their business.”
Cotton blew his whistle. A dozen eager, loose-
jointed black Labrador pups swarmed over him.
Patiently he stored them in their respective niches
partitioned off in his dog trailer, to haul them to
a lake for an afternon of work, work and more
work. He gave me but one more parting shot.
"Sorry, I got to get going on this 'fine’ job. If
anyone ever reads that stuff you write you might
tell ’em that we folks in the retriever trial business
will help them cut the loss of pheasants and ducks
from 20 to 40 percent, and much the same holds
true with other breeds of hunting dogs.” The Cot
ton Top started his truck.
"One thing I can’t ever understand,” he said.
"Why is it that people buy just any kind of dog
because they all make fine pets—as good as the
best, and if you do want a hunting dog in addi
tion, you got one. If you spend just a little time
in training the pooch you will be surprised at the
results. That is you will so long as some of us
keep raising good trained blood. You can’t let the
breeds run out.”
Some 22,000,000 quail are taken each year by
American hunters who describe the popular bob-
white as tops of all feathered game. One of the
reasons for this popularity hinges on the fact that
a quail lies readily to a pointing dog.
Birds lie better to the fast-working dog who
brakes quickly into a point.
Most popular dogs for this work are English
pointers and English setters. Gordon and Irish
setters and the German short-haired pointer have
their backers, too.
It’s better to have a poor dog along when you
go hunting than none at all. Every real sports
man is interested in conserving game and a dog
can retrieve a downed bird which otherwise
might be lost.
To insure success on your big game hunt, a pre
season warm up with a box or two of cartridges
for your favorite rifle is good business.
It is surprising how rusty one gets from one
fall until the next. Probably you spent consider
able time wing shooting after your last big game
hunt. You lose the feel of a high-powered rifle.
You are most apt to pull or jerk the trigger in
stead of squeezing it. Don’t forget, either, it is
well to know your sights are in proper* alignment.
Also you should zero in your piece for the par
ticular bullet weight you plan to use at about the
yardage) you expect to be shooting.
Rifle ammunition is probably the smallest ex
pense you have in connection with a big game
hunt, unless it is your shoe laces. Transportation,
guides, boots, bedrolls and good outdoor clothing,
all cost considerable. Sure, so does your rifle, but
a Winchester will last you a lifetime if you take
any care of it. That is not much to write off each
year, is it?
Although the clay target for trap shooting first
came into use in 1880, a substitute for live birds
for practice shooting was in use in this country
as early as 1836. T. E. Hall, curator of one Win
chester museum, reveals that a glass ball was in
troduced to the sport of trap shooting in 1836 by
Charles Portlock of Boston.
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