172 Hunting Trips of a Ranchman 



on horseback. But, as carried on in the Adirondacks 

 and in the Eastern and Southern mountains gener- 

 ally, hounding deer is not worthy of much regard. 

 There the hunter is stationed at a runway over 

 which deer will probably pass, and has nothing to 

 do but sit still for a number of weary hours and per- 

 haps put a charge of buckshot into a deer running 

 by but a few yards off. If a rifle instead of a shot- 

 gun is used, a certain amount of skill is necessary, 

 for then it is hard to hit a deer running, no matter 

 how close up; but even with this weapon all the 

 sportsman has to do is to shoot well; he need not 

 show knowledge of a single detail of hunting craft, 

 nor need he have any trait of mind or body such as 

 he must possess to follow most other kinds of the 

 chase. 



Deer-hunting on horseback is something widely 

 different. Even if the hunters carry rifles and them- 

 selves kill the deer, using the dogs merely to drive 

 it out of the brush, they must be bold and skilful 

 horsemen, and must show good judgment in riding 

 to cut off the quarry, so as to be able to get a shot 

 at it. This is the common American method of 

 hunting the deer in those places where it is followed 

 with horse and hound; but it is also coursed with 

 greyhounds in certain spots where the lay of the land 

 permits this form of sport, and in many districts, 

 even where ordinary hounds are used, the riders go 

 unarmed and merely follow the pack till the deer is 

 bayed and pulled down. All kinds of hunting on 

 horseback and most hunting on horseback is done 



