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When a limpkin or another bird he thought was worth the trouble paused nearby, he gathered up the shotgun with a straightening of his arm. The shot rang harsh and sad, like a punch across the vastness, rolling on and on across the undulating field, and then across the water, and after that the nearest islands.
What is the meaning of the line in bold?
Thank you.
One might group the parts of the sentence: "When [a limpkin or another bird he thought was worth the trouble] paused nearby..."
A simplified version of the entire paragraph is, "When a desirable bird landed within the hunter's range, he shot it."
That is, he doesn't shoot at every bird he sees, only those that are "worth the trouble", perhaps birds of a certain minimum size or value.
