Upon the feast of St Hubert . . .

Description:

. . . Let us ponder the ironies.

First, St Hubert’s vision of a stag with an illuminated cross between its antlers about 700AD was anticipated by St Eustace’s, 500 years earlier.

Secondly, though neither man continued to hunt afterwards, they are both considered patron saints of hunters. (St Hubert is also the patron saint of dogs, archers and opticians.)

So, what should we eat on November 3rd? By analogy with lamb at Easter, probably venison.

But what should you do if you see an illuminated cross between a stag’s antlers some evening?

If using a scope, it might help to lower your aim.

And then you might pray:

– that the light does not shrink your eye's pupil, obscuring the target behind it (as an optician would understand);

– that the circuitry is good, not a clue to warranty limits*;

– that your battery is worthy of the scope maker’s faith and claims;

– that your aim will be steady and ethics sound, shooting in such poor light.

(If, by some chance that cross is not just seen through your scope, you should give your rifle to a shooter down on his luck and get to a monastery. Then, you may become yet another patron saint of hunters.)

'LIGHT AT THE START OF THE TUNNEL - Are rifle scopes off the rails?' has a chapter on illumination, too, as the title suggests.

The $20 price, plus $4.30 postage, NOW includes 24 pages of additional information to be sent by email; other options with the additions printed: $30-$45.

*One famous brand guarantees its scopes for life - but has limited any illumination to a year or two. The book tells you what it is.