For the sake of safety, bird hunters should be seen—plenty of blaze orange clothing assures that.

Regardless of whether you are shooting in a dove field or a covert filled with quail, never blast away at a low-flying bird. A few years ago during a duck hunt, one of the shooters disengaged his brain, engaged the trigger and cut loose at a duck as it flew low between us. Luckily, most of the No. 2 steel pellets bounced off my waders, although one managed to bring a trickle of blood from one of my fingers.

Always make your gun safe before crossing a ditch, fence or other obstacle. In this case "safe" means a gun temporarily rendered incapable of firing. Double-barrel guns encourage hunters to do this because they are easily broken down for unloading. The Browning Auto-5, with its magazine cutoff, also scores high in this department.

I've seen my share of close calls in duck blinds due to hunters losing control of their guns. Like the time at Wingmeade, in Arkansas, when a fellow absentmindedly leaned his loaded Fox double against the railing of the blind and started pouring himself a cup of coffee. Hearing a commotion, I looked over just in time to see the gun bounce off the floor with its muzzles pointed at my feet. Had the Fox discharged, my days of twenty-mile walks after sharptail grouse would probably have come to an end then and there. When in a blind with other hunters, always hold onto your gun unless the railing you want to rest it against is notched deeply enough to keep it from slipping to the side.

By far the most common mistake I see in the field is a hunter sweeping others with the muzzle of a firearm. This most often happens when the gun is carried across the body in the crook of the arm or atop the shoulder with its muzzle pointed to the rear. Regardless of how you choose to carry a gun, its muzzle absolutely must remain pointed at nothing but sky until the birds flush--and even then it is to be pointed only in a safe direction.

Finally, never criticize another man's dog regardless of how many birds it flushes 200 yards from where your stand, or if it eats quail as fast as you can shoot them.