82 RED DEER. 



V. 



WAYS OF RED DEER. 



A stag used to be called a ' forester ' in the 

 days when stag-hunting had fallen to a low 

 estate, and every one shot or poached the 

 wild deer as they chose. With so many 

 guns against them all over Exmoor and the 

 neighbouring districts, the red deer grew 

 scarce, and were not often seen. They were, 

 in fact, in some danger of extinction, being 

 treated as outlaws and killed in and out of 

 season. If any one sighted a stag, or found 

 the slot, he roused the countryside ; people 

 armed themselves with guns of every kind 

 and sallied forth to destroy it. If a stag was 

 shot, he was put into a cart and carried 

 through the place in triumph. Poachers 

 followed the deer continually, and thinned 

 their numbers. 



