Guns, Ammunition, and TackleAlbert William Money, Horace Kephart, W. E. Carlin, Abraham Lincoln Artmann Himmelwright, John Harrington Keene 1904
http://books.google.com/books?id=G5ECAAAAYAAJMuch depends upon a man's attitude and balance when in the act of shooting. As far as possible the whole body should be flexible and evenly balanced, from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head. Of course a man out after game cannot always choose the moment at which he will be called upon to shoot, and therefore cannot always have his body in the best position. But very often he can, as when standing in a blind waiting for wild-fowl, or when waiting for game to flush which his dogs have pointed. Nothing will so quickly show the necessity for acquiring the right way of holding the body when in the act of shooting than shooting at some clay pigeons or targets,
thrown from a set of traps in such a way that you neither know where the target is coming from nor the direction it is going to take until it springs into view. This is one way target-shooting helps to make a good game shot.
(The earliest description of what is now Sporting Clays?)Having got the right position, study to shoot in good time, neither too fast nor too slow. Be ready to snap as quick as lightning at a bird rising wild or in thick cover where only a momentary glimpse can be had of the object, but, on the other hand, never shoot too quickly at an object that is so close to you that your shot has not time to spread.
Keep the head well up and both eyes open, so that you can see all that is going on and get in a good and quick second barrel if necessity requires.
Keeping the head down low or shutting one eye are both faults of which no really good game shot is ever guilty.
