VIRGINIA DEER. 8 1 



size and thickness of the branch that sustains them, than from 

 their numbers." The doe is considerably smaller than the buck, 

 and ma'y be said never to have horns. It is true that there are 

 half a dozen instances on record where a female deer has been 

 found to be provided with short horns, but this state of things is 

 quite abnormal. 



Deer rut in October and November and the doe brings forth 

 her young, generally two but sometimes three, in May or June, 

 earlier at the South than at the North. These animals should there- 

 fore never be shot before October first, or at the earliest Septem- 

 ber fifteenth. The fawns are not fit to eat before that season, and 

 if the does are killed before that date, the young will have a hard 

 time of it during the autumn. 



The food of the Red Deer varies according to the season. In 

 autumn they crop the buds of green shrubs, leaves of small bram- 

 bles, the tender parts of brakes or ferns, etc.; in winter, when snow 

 covers the ground, they eat the leaves of laurel, and the bark and 

 moss of trees ; and in summer they find abundance of vegetation, 

 especially in the rank grass and lily pads that border the margin of 

 ponds and sloughs. 



In districts where they have been much hunted, the deer feed 

 mostly at night, and during the day they retire to the hills to rest 

 and bask in the sun. In a level country they resort to thickets 

 near the water to rest during the day. The best time to still hunt 

 deer is just before sunset, when they come down from the hills to 

 drink. They always make straight for the water and quench their 

 thirst, and then commence feeding. Early in the morning you 

 will find them on the sunny side of a mountain or hill. Never 

 hunt below them — that is, at the foot of a hill — for if you do nine 

 deer out of ten will see or smell you, and bound away without your 

 knowing of their presence. Get on the top of a mountain and look 

 below for the deer. Always hunt to windward and move slowly 

 and do not try to cover too much ground, and you will be success- 

 ful if in a deer country. 



The modes employed in capturing these animals are very nu- 

 merous, but those most practiced are hounding, i. e., running with 

 dogs either by a runway where the hunter stands, or into the water, 

 driving, floating or jacking, and still hunting. Of all these methods 

 4 



