THE WHITETAIL DEER. 65 



covered the fawn. It was going straight away 

 from me, running very evenly, and I drew a 

 coarse sight at the tip of the white flag. As 

 I pulled trigger down went the deer, the ball 

 having gone into the back of its head. The 

 distance was a good three hundred yards ; and 

 while of course there was much more chance 

 than skill in the shot I felt well pleased with 

 it though I could not help a regret that 

 while making- such a difficult shot at a mere 

 whitetail I should have missed a much easier 

 shot at a noble bighorn. Not only I, but all 

 the camp, had a practical interest in my suc- 

 cess ; for we had no fresh meat, and a fat 

 whitetail fawn, killed in October, yields the 

 best of venison. So after dressing the deer I 

 slung the carcass behind my saddle, and we 

 rode swiftly back to camp through the dark ; 

 and that evening we feasted on the juicy 

 roasted ribs. 



The degree of tameness and unsuspicious- 

 ness shown by whitetail deer depends, of 

 course, upon the amount of molestation to 

 which they" are exposed. Their times for 

 sleeping, feeding, and coming to water vary 

 from the same cause. Where they are little 

 persecuted they feed long after sunrise and 

 before sunset, and drink when the sun is high 

 in the heavens, sometimes even at midday ; 

 they then show but little fear of man, and 

 speedily become indifferent to the presence 

 of deserted dwellings. 



In the cattle country the ranch houses are 



often shut during the months of warm weather, 



when the round-ups succeed one another 



without intermission, as the calves must be 



5 



