202 AN AMERICAN HUNTER 



feet deep, so that the deer sank below the level of the sur- 

 face at each jump, and yet could not get its feet on the 

 solid ground, it became so exhausted that it fell over on 

 its side and bleated in terror as I came up. After looking 

 at it I passed on. Hide-hunters and frontier settlers some- 

 times go out after the deer on snow-shoes when there is 

 a crust, and hence this method of killing is called crust- 

 ing. It is simple butchery, for the deer cannot, as the 

 moose does, cause its pursuer a chase which may last 

 days. No self-respecting man would follow this method 

 of hunting save from the necessity of having meat. 



In very wild localities deer sometimes yard on the ice 

 along the edges of lakes, eating off all the twigs and 

 branches, whether of hardwood trees or of conifers, 

 which they can reach. 



At the beginning of the rut the does flee from the 

 bucks, which follow them by scent at full speed. The 

 whitetail buck rarely tries to form a herd of does, though 

 he will sometimes gather two or three. The mere fact 

 that his tactics necessitate a long and arduous chase after 

 each individual doe prevents his organizing herds as the 

 wapiti bull does. Sometimes two or three bucks will be 

 found strung out one behind the other, following the 

 same doe. The bucks wage desperate battle among them- 

 selves during this season, coming together with a clash, 

 and then pushing and straining for an hour or two at a 

 time, with their mouths open, until the weakest gives way. 

 As soon as one abandons the fight he flees with all possible 

 speed, and usually escapes unscathed. While head to 

 head there is no opportunity for a disabling thrust, but 



