Snipe Hunt

1. Snipe Hunt By Bethany Dix, Rylee Black, and Tyree Davis

2. Snipe Hunt • “’You know what we want,’ another man said. ‘Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.’ ‘You can turn around and go home again, Walter,’ Atticus said pleasantly. ‘Heck Tate’s around somewhere.’ ‘The hell he is,’ said another man. ‘Heck’s bunch’s so deep in the woods they won’t get out till mornin.’ ‘Indeed? Why so?’ ‘Called him off on a snipe hunt,’ was the succinct answer. ‘Didn’t you think a that, Mr. Finch?’” Chapter 15 Page 202

3. In the Story… The snipe hunt in this story is important because it allowed the “gang” that tried to lynch Tom to have a better chance of getting at him. The men sent Heck Tate on a snipe hunt to keep him out of the way so they could get away with lynching Tom. It would give them plenty of time to commit the crime and not run into the sheriff.

4. Snipe Hunt • A snipe hunt is another way of saying “a wild goose chase” or “a fool’s errand.” • Snipes are a small bird that lives on the shores of lakes. These birds are small and hard to kill or catch. • The word sniper comes from the word snipe because you have to be a good shot to hit one. • Snipe hunts are used as practical jokes or to get rid of someone you don’t want around. The method of catching them is usually something absurd, like a burlap sack, to make it even harder. • Sometimes the animal’s description is fictional and it doesn’t actually exist.