THE WHITE-TAILED OR VIRGINIA DEER 



quarter of a mile, and stays down if not molested 

 too soon. Along the trail may be found a little 

 dark-colored blood, and sometimes matter the 

 animal has eaten. Deer shot thus should not be 

 followed before at least two hours have passed, 

 since if jumped they often go for miles. A deer 

 with a broken leg may be followed at once, though 

 the chase is usually quicker ended if half an hour 

 is given for the animal to settle down. 



In my opinion a sportsman who does any con- 

 siderable hunting for big game should have his 

 dog trained to follow a track as far as his master 

 will follow him. A dog that runs deer is useless, 

 and if he will not stay close to his master he 

 must be kept on a leash. There is no law in any 

 State against such use of a dog, and it would save 

 much hard work to the man whose eye is not 

 trained for tracking when there is no snow. 



Besides the signs visible when a deer is shot, 

 there are those which are brought to the hunter's 

 knowledge through his ear: a hard, sharp sound 

 conveying the intelligence that a bone is struck 

 (and if it is not a leg the deer will hardly run), 

 and a dull " thud " telling that a soft part is hit. 



27 



