This photo was set up by the author to illustrate how multiple hunters can safely approach pointed birds. Only two hunters should be shooting, and they should only take birds that are clearly on their side of the point.

I grew up in rural America at a time when every briar patch contained at least one cottontail rabbit, and it was not uncommon to put up a dozen or more coveys of bobwhites in a single day. My father was an avid hunter of both, so it was natural that I learned firearms safety and etiquette from him. One of my more important lessons came on the day he presented to me a shotgun of my very own.

We lived on a small farm with the nearest neighbor some distance away, so it was not unusual for Dad to "target practice" with his shotguns and .22 rifles in our back yard. On that particular morning, he perched a huge overripe watermelon atop a fencepost and told me to shoot it with the new shotgun from about five yards away. I should have known something was up when he moved farther back after handing me the gun. As I washed away the sticky juice in the creek behind our house, Dad pointed out that a careless shotgunner could do to a fellow hunter in the field what I had just done to that watermelon. Believe me when I say such a lesson left a lasting impression on a 12-year-old.

Some of the hunters I see in the field each year obviously played hooky from the "school of safety and etiquette." Not wearing blaze orange is one of the more common gaffes I see. I seldom leave home without it, not only when pushing through eastern ruffed grouse thickets but also when hunting pheasants, sharptail grouse and other birds on the open plains. Blaze orange is an absolute necessity when hunting in thickly wooded and brushy country, because it allows you and your hunting partner to maintain awareness of each other. Anytime we lose sight of each other, I insist that we communicate our positions with occasional yells back and forth until we are once again within sight of each other.

A vest of the same color worn by your hunting dog is not a bad idea. If ever in doubt, hold your fire because all the birds you'll shoot in three lifetimes are not worth the risk of shooting a dog or a fellow hunter.

On guided bird hunts, two hunters per guide is ideal, three hunters is too big a crowd, and four hunters won't be there long because I'm headed home. Anytime more than two hunters are sharing a guide, they should take turns shooting with no more than two at bat with the other hunters standing behind out of the way and with guns unloaded.

It's not uncommon on some preserves for a guide to offer to walk in and flush the birds when his dog goes on point, but I always politely ask him to stay a couple of safe steps behind as I walk in and put up the birds. If a hunting partner is walking to the flush on the opposite side of pointing dog, keep in mind that an imaginary line extending out from the dog's nose divides your birds from his--you shoot only those birds that fly on your side of the line, and he shoots those that fly on his side. Never shoot in any direction except to the front or side. I once watched in amazement and disgust as two hunters wheeled to take quail that flew back over their heads, causing the guide standing behind them to hit the dirt. I have yet to meet a bird I wanted to shoot badly enough to attempt such a mindless act.

After the covey flush, always take turns with your hunting partner when shooting singles. A fellow I hunted with once would actually push past me to get to a single, even though he had shot most of them up to that point in time. You can understand why I never invited him back.

He also had the bad habit of pushing off the safety of his over/under with a loud "click" as he walked in to flush a bird when he should have left the safety on until the bird got up.