S8 GAME ANIMALS OF NORTH AMERICA. 



order to pursue their investigations of the habits of the animals 

 and birds they study. That which is to be most guarded against 

 is giving the animals your scent. It is all important to hunt up 

 wind. 



The first light snow of the season gives the hunter a great ad- 

 vantage over the game, and in the case of caribou one has only to 

 dress in white clothes to approach within close range and ensure 

 his success. 



When there is no snow on the ground you cannot follow the 

 deer's tracks, but have to move quietly about over ground most 

 likely to be frequented by them, keeping a sharp lookout and 

 reviewing the ground at every step, for in the thick woods you are 

 liable to come on one at any time. 



When the ground is covered with soft, light snow, six or eight 

 inches deep, during the month of November, or the fore part of 

 December, is the best time for " still hunting." Then, as you enter 

 the woods, the first thing to be done is to find a deer's track in 

 the snow. The next thing is to ascertain the length of time the 

 track has been made. This requires much experience. If the 

 track is just made, the snow in it, where it has been moved, will 

 look new and bright, but grows dull by age. A good test, when 

 it is cold weather, is to feel of the track with your finger, and if 

 just made, it will be soft ; if not, quite hard. One of the best ways 

 to tell if it is a new track is by the manure, if the animal chances 

 to drop any, as it will soon freeze if cold ; at any rate, it soon 

 changes its appearance. Having found a track and ascertained 

 that it is new enough, the next thing is to follow it cautiously, 

 travelling at the same rate as the deer travels. An experienced 

 hunter can tell about how fast he has to go to overtake the deer. 

 If the deer is feeding along as he goes and stops to browse at 

 every fallen tree-top, you must move slowly, looking in every place, 

 at every step, for he is not far distant. But, then, if the deer is 

 " travelling," as it is called, one has to walk much faster and scan 

 the ground as best he can. But the chance of getting a shot is 

 less than when one moves slower and looks the ground thoroughly 

 over. To still-hunt with success, to tell in what locality to look for 

 deer in different states of weather, to know when to follow fast 

 and when slow, to know where a deer will be most likely to stop 



