HOW TO GET IT. 109 



looking at them with thorough disgust I noticed one 

 acting in a strange manner, and in a moment a huge buck 

 came tumbling down the steep side of the hill. I lost 

 no time in securing him. He was shot through the head, 

 though his position on the hill was at least thirty feet 

 above the one I aimed at. 



Thus I bagged my first deer.- The charm was broken. 

 Next day I bagged two, and since then have never had 

 any difficulty in killing deer. 



We will suppose the sportsman well fitted out, and 

 ready to take the field against the denizens of the plains. 

 If he has no knowledge of the habits of game, and intends 

 only a short hunt, he had best hire a good hunter to go 

 with him and find the game for him. 



In this case he must stipulate that the hired hunter is 

 not to shoot at game unless specially ordered, otherwise 

 very little game will fall to his bag. The desire to kill 

 in the professional plains hunter is so much stronger than 

 his regard for the truth, that, when his rifle goes off 

 unexpectedly and a deer falls, he will turn, with ample 

 apology, to his employer to declare that the animal was 

 just starting to run when he first saw it, and there was no 

 time to point it out. 



Each animal has to be hunted differently, and no 

 amount of previous oral instructions can supply to the 

 novice the place of actual experience. A few general 

 rules are all that can be given : 



1. Always hunt against or across the wind. If the 

 wind will permit, it is preferable to hunt across small 

 valleys, ravines, or rolling- ground. 



2. Approach the top of each elevation as slowly and 

 carefully as if you knew that game was just beyond, 

 keeping your body well concealed ; and be sure, before 

 exposing yourself on the top, that you have carefully 

 scanned every portion of ground in view. 



3. Eecollect that to kill game you must see it before 

 it sees you. 



