HUNTING THE DEER 



the great interest that attaches to this splendid game 

 creature, measures will be taken at an early date to 

 prevent its extermination. State preserves, private 

 preserves, interstate commerce laws, local game 

 laws, and, best of all, a public sentiment back of 

 these laws, will very likely conspire to leave us the 

 Virginia deer for many decades let us hope for 

 many centuries to come. /, 



The most curious phenomenon of our deerhunt- 

 ing today is the fact that literally armies of hunt- 

 ers of all sorts, rich and poor, go out each fall for 

 deer. 



The fall hunt is not so much a business proposi- 

 tion in the South as in the North, but in much of the 

 pine wilderness of the North it comes near to being 

 made a business ; and the sport in its different phases 

 has been brought to a high degree of efficiency. 



There are several ways of hunting the white- 

 tailed deer, varying with the conditions of the 

 country where it is found. In the South dogs are 

 still used in the canebrakes, though hounding is 

 prohibited by law in the states of the North. The 

 shotgun is used in the South, but not in the North. 

 In some parts of the South, "breasting deer" is 

 practiced, a party of horsemen in line driving them 

 out of their cover in the grass. I once had keen 

 sport coursing deer in the old Indian Territory with 



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