Handy hints for better hunting

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 5

Handy hints for better hunting

Do not take alcohol on your hunting trip. Save it until you get home. Howi ever, a thermos of coffee or hot soup can be good value, or if it is hot, sunny weather try' a vita-min-based cordial drink. They are good value for sportsmen. An uneven shot pattern I can result in misses or crippled birds. Test your | shotgun well before the i season by firing at a largeI sheet of cardboard at about 40m. Try different I loads. A typewriter eraser can I be used to remove small | blotches of rust from a i gun barrel. The fine abrasive rubs away' the rust I but. does not damage the I finish. i One of the secrets of

successful shotgunners is the use of the left arm, that is, if you are right handed. Straighten your left arm if you are having trouble. The left hand does the important work. It supports the weight of the barrels and guides the swing. Keep your swing smooth. Practise before the season at a clay bird shoot or with a friend by tossing tin cans in the air. Practice makes perfect. Sales tax on ammunition and firearms is excessive, and a sore point with shooters. Shotgunning is a major participant sport yet it is penalised unfiariy. Write a letter to your M.P. to see what he or she is going to do about it.