114 NEWFOUNDLAND CARIBOU 



man to walk right up to within a few yards before taking 

 fright. Curiosity is often a noticeable failing with them ; 

 when once it is aroused they will go to almost any 

 lengths to satisfy it. I do not, however, advise the 

 hunter to count too much on it, for the very thing which 

 you imagine will tempt this curiosity will as likely as not 

 frighten them away. Sometimes a strange noise will 

 make them very inquisitive, and they will come within 

 a few feet to find out what it is. Then, occasionally, a 

 white handkerchief will have the same effect. 



Immediately before the mating season the stags may be 

 called by a peculiar low grunt, which must not be repeated 

 too frequently ; just often enough to arouse but not satisfy 

 their curiosity. I have never seen an instance of them 

 coming any distance in reply to the call — a couple of 

 hundred yards at most — and it does not appear to excite 

 them to any great extent, so in this respect they are quite 

 unlike the Moose. Calling is not much resorted to, except 

 when a stag has been frightened and has started to run, then 

 a properly delivered grunt will occasionally cause him to stop 

 and perhaps return to investigate. If the wind is in the 

 right direction and there are no does present, they sometimes 

 come ridiculously near, so that shooting is really too easy to 

 be interesting. 



In advising the September season as the best for those who 

 are keen hunters and do not object to plenty of hard work 

 — and Caribou stalking can be as frill of hardships as any 

 shooting I know of, owing to the extremely difficult walking 

 — there is another reason, apart from the greater alertness of 

 the animal, which should of itself be sufficient inducement 

 for selecting this time of the year. It always seems a pity, 

 if not worse, to kill any large animal which cannot be used 

 for food ; not only is it a waste of life, but the primary 



