Whitetailed Deer 85 



tied our horse for some time at a stand; on his becoming rest- 

 less we removed him to a distance; a Deer pursued by dogs 

 ran near the spot where the horse had originally stood, caught 

 the scent, started suddenly back and passed within a few feet 

 of the spot where we were standing without having observed 

 us. 



This animal seems, indeed, to regard all motionless objects 

 down wind as mere features of the landscape. Hunters take 

 advantage of this weakness, when stalking it in the open. 

 They run toward it without concealment as long as it is graz- 

 ing; but the moment it shows, by shaking its tail, that it is 

 about to raise its head, they "freeze," crouching low and still. 

 The Deer takes its customary look around and lowers its head 

 to feed again; whereupon they repeat the open approach, and 

 thus continue until within easy shot. 



Col. Theodore Roosevelt observes :" " I cannot say whether 

 the habit is a universal one, but on two occasions at least I was 

 able thus to creep up to the feeding Deer, because before lifting 

 its head it invariably shook its tail, thereby warning me to stay 

 without moving until it had lifted its head, scrutinized the 

 landscape, and again lowered its head to graze. The eyesight 

 of the Whitetail, as compared with that of the Pronghorn Ante- 

 lope, is poor. It notes whatever is in motion, but it seems 

 unable to distinguish clearly anything that is not in motion. 

 On the occasions in question no Antelope that I have ever seen 

 would have failed to notice me at once and to take alarm. But 

 the Whitetail, although it scrutinized me narrowly, while I lay 

 motionless with my head toward it, seemed in each case to 

 think that I must be harmless, and after a while it would go on 

 feeding. In one instance the animal fed over a ridge and 

 walked off before I could get a shot; in the other instance I 

 killed it." 



I have heard of this trick often, and have several times 

 proved it a failure with Antelope. I never tried it on Whitetail 

 Deer, but did it with complete success on a pair of Red-deer 

 in Europe some years ago. 



"Deer Fam., 1903, pp. 96-7. 



