12 Deer and Antelope of North America 



out much of the West, there are still places where 

 he habitually rides ; and on the plains this is 

 the universal habit. Moreover, the antelope is 

 occasionally followed with greyhounds, and the 

 whitetail deer with the ordinary track-hounds or 

 deer-hounds. American hunters have never been 

 partial to large-bore rifles, and against American 

 game the heavy batteries necessary in India and 

 Africa have never been found necessary, or in- 

 deed useful. Nowadays the small-bore, smokeless- 

 powder rifle is almost universally used for all the 

 different kinds of game described in this volume. 

 For deer and antelope the lighter rifles are amply 

 sufficient. For moose and wapiti the heavier kinds 

 are preferable — not larger bores, but with a greater 

 quantity of powder and a longer bullet. The hard, 

 metal jacket of the bullet should of course not 

 extend to the point ; in other words, the nose 

 should be of naked lead. Any good, modern rifle 

 will meet the requirements. The particular make 

 is largely a matter of personal taste. There are 

 a dozen different kinds, each of which comes up 

 to the standard of accuracy, flatness of trajectory, 

 killing power, handiness, and endurance. The 

 vital point is not the gun but the man behind the 

 gun. Any one of these rifles is good enough, and 

 the difference between any two of them is infini- 

 tesimal when compared with the importance of a 

 good eye and a steady hand and nerves. 



