10 Field Museum of Natural History 



Where deer are very plentiful, it is possible for the 

 hunter to take up first one trail and then another until 

 fortune favors him and he suddenly comes upon his 

 game and gets at least a running shot as it bounds 

 away. Hounds are used frequently for deer-hunting 

 and most commonly when several hunters station them- 

 selves at different points along runways known to be 

 used by the deer, or near lakes to which the deer may 

 take to escape the dogs. In southern states, dogs are 

 sometimes trained as "slow trailers," meaning that 

 they follow a deer's trail without baying and so 

 slowly that the hunter can keep a few yards behind 

 them ready to shoot if the deer is started. Lying in 

 wait at salt licks or favorite feeding places is another 

 method and a much more common one is that of "jack- 

 ing" or hunting at night with a bright light. Hound- 

 ing, jacking, killing in the water, night hunting, etc., 

 are now in most states prohibited by law. All such 

 methods may afford some excitement but require little 

 or no skill and if permitted would soon cause the ex- 

 tinction of the deer. 



No game animal affords better evidence of the 

 effectiveness of good game laws than the White-tailed 

 Deer. In some of our most populous states it is still 

 abundant, and during the short open season each year 

 thousands are killed by sportsmen. In Vermont, where 

 it was nearly extinct, and in New Jersey, where it was 

 quite so, it has re-established itself successfully after 

 a period of complete protection. In 1920, over 4,000 

 deer were legally killed in Vermont, whereas 25 years 

 ago, scarcely a one could be found. In New York and 

 Pennsylvania it is probable there are more deer now 

 than 50 years ago, although of course they are not so 

 widely distributed. In northern Michigan, Wisconsin 

 and Minnesota, deer are perhaps as abundant as ever 

 they have been. The number of buck deer legally killed 



[10] 



