THE CHASE. 375 



marshy places up the mountains. Here they are found at the 

 first dawn of day, and before this time the hunter should secrete 

 himself in a favorable location, which his experience and knowl- 

 edge of the animal's habits will enable him to select, when he 

 may hope to get a shot. They are not as gregarious as the Elk 

 or the common deer, so he may expect to find but few together, 

 if more than a single individual is met with in a place. They 

 leave their favorite feeding grounds early in the morning, and if 

 in hilly or mountainous regions, are sure to go to higher grounds 

 to repose and ruminate. Here they are sought by the experi- 

 enced hunter, who rarely sees them in their lairs but relies upon 

 a snap shot when they jump up ; and, as they cannot be de- 

 pended upon to stop after making a few leaps, he never waits 

 for such an opportunity^ but fires at the first sight as the best 

 probable opportunity he will get. 



In remote mountain districts, where the Mule Deer are seldom 

 hunted, they are not remarkably shy, and the cai'eful stalker may 

 meet one at any time of the day feeding on favorite grounds, 

 which one familiar with their tastes and habits has no difficulty 

 in recognizing. 



Lieutenant W. L. Carpenter, U. S. A., with whom I have had 

 the pleasure of climbing the mountains in the pursuit of the deer, 

 a sportsman of very large experience, especially in the mountain 

 regions, writes me : — 



" I have never seen or heard of any other deer in the Rocky 

 Mountain region than the elk (C. Canadensis)^ the black-tailed 

 deer (C. macrotis), and the white-tailed deer (C. leucurus). 



" I have found the black-tailed deer most abundant in North- 

 ern Colorado, and the white-tailed deer on the Upper Mis- 

 souri. Both species are found abundant on the treeless plains, 

 and it is my opinion that a great many of them never see the 

 mountains. The Republican, the South Platte, the North Platte, 

 the White River, and the Upper Missouri, have both species in 

 common, hundreds of miles from the Rocky Mountains. But the 

 black-tailed deer always prefer the high bluffs and deep ravines 

 near the rivers, while the white-tailed deer selects the thickest 

 brush in the river bottoms that he can find, and will often allow 

 you to walk within a few feet of him without moving ; he is sel- 

 dom found far from cover. 



" I think that 10,500 feet may be safely set down as the limit 

 of elevation for the white-tailed deer. I have never heard of 

 one being seen anywhere near timber line. Several times this 



