14 OUR BIG GAME 



A first-rate man in the woods desires, above all 

 things, to kill the game he hits, when he hits it. A 

 wounded animal will often travel for miles, before it 

 is recovered, and will sometimes escape. The chances 

 that a wounded deer, elk or moose will get away, now 

 that dogs are no longer used in their pursuit, are much 

 greater than they were when every hunter had his 

 hounds. If it were not for the fact that the privilege 

 would be abused, I would strongly favor taking one 

 or two dogs into the woods, to be used only to run 

 down and locate the wounded deer. Of course, if 

 dogs were allowed in the Avoods for one purpose, the 

 temptation to use them for another would often prove 

 too great to be resisted, and it seems necessary, there- 

 fore, that the laws prohibit all " hounding." On club- 

 preserves the matter might well be regulated by club- 

 rules, which the members would observe, and in States 

 where the law requires the shooters to be accompanied 

 by licensed guides, the guide might be authorized to 

 use a hound for retrieving purposes only. The most 

 disagreeable thing about shooting is the wounding of 

 an animal which escapes to die. The sportsman and 

 his guide should do nothing else until such an animal 

 is brought to bag. 



As already stated, the use of hounds on the deer 

 is now prohibited in many States and should be every- 

 where (excepting for wounded animals, if that can be 

 arranged), since the chasing of deer to the runways 

 is very destructive and tends to drive the game out 

 of the country. I am aware that many sportsmen 

 favor this form of sport. Mr. Hornaday says : " The 

 hunters are obliged to kill the deer on the run. . . . 



