294 SPORTING AD VENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



when they are in motion. Those who would be successful 

 in stalking it should, therefore, move slowly, tread lightly, 

 and use their eyes instead of their feet. The great point is 

 to see the quarry before it sees you; and as its coating 

 closely resembles the grass and leaves, and it is generally 

 concealed in dense shrubbery during the day, the only way 

 in which this can be done is to peer sharply in every direc- 

 tion, and let the gaze rest steadily for a few moments on 

 spots where it is supposed to lurk. One should work to 

 the windward under all circumstances; for the keen nos- 

 trils of a deer will detect the presence of a hunter several 

 hundred yards away, and it would be off in the most noise- 

 less manner before he even knew that it was about. Its 

 hearing being also excellent, the breaking of a branch, the 

 rustle of the shrubbery, or the crackling of a rotten bough 

 underfoot, would send it scampering away in a hurry; 

 hence the general advice may be summarized in. a sentence : 

 keep your eyes open, walk very slowly and lightly, and work 

 to windward. If a deer passes a person's front while he is 

 out stalking, he may cause it to halt long enough to get a 

 shot by giving a sharp whistle or call, as its curiosity is so 

 strong that it wants to know the meaning of every unusual 

 sound and the character of every strange object, even when 

 the hounds are in full pursuit. I have shot several that 

 would have dashed past me in full flight but for this ruse, 

 and I remember few cases in which I failed to cause a halt 

 by its means. The stop might be only for a second or two, 

 yet it was long enough to give a good opportunity for fir- 

 ing. Cautious as the mule deer is, it will halt on hearing 

 the signal, even in the open, and with the hunter in plain 

 view ; for if it is one of the most vigilant, it is also one of 

 the most inquisitive of its family. 



This fine animal, which seems to be the connecting link 

 between the wapiti and the smaller deer, derives its name 

 from the length of its ears and the form of its tail. The 

 former, which are eight or nine inches long, are well bent 

 ' forward, and are constantly in motion, as if trying to catch 

 every sound; and the latter, which is about the same length. 



