42 THE DEER FAMILY 



as it flew from his head, and shot it. The man who 

 told me this was thoroughly reliable and it no doubt 

 occurred just as he said it did. The sportsman will 

 do well to remain absolutely motionless in the presence 

 of a deer until he is ready to shoot. 



The methods of pursuing deer have been changed 

 much by legislation within the past few years. The 

 open season has been shortened, the bag limited, and 

 the sale of venison prohibited. This is most fortunate, 

 since all of the deer were threatened with extermina- 

 tion. 



The range of the deer is limited and the habits 

 of the animals have changed much where they have 

 been persecuted. All of these matters will be referred 

 to in the chapters on the different species. Most of the 

 States require a license to shoot. This varies in amount 

 from ten to fifty dollars for non-residents. A nominal 

 sum is usually charged for residents. In my opinion 

 this inequality in the charge will eventually prove fatal 

 to such laws, but in the meantime the sportsman who 

 desires to avoid trouble will do well to take out the 

 license required.* 



Since laws are changed so often it would be useless 

 to give a table of these rates. The Forest and Stream 

 Company publishes a quarterly magazine, Gavie-Laws 

 in Brief, which gives an accurate synopsis of all the 

 game-laws in the United States and Canada, in addition 

 to short stories of the chase. 



All of the male deer have horns, which they shed an- 

 nually, usually about March. In two species, the cari- 

 bou, the females also have horns. The new horns are 



* The license in Newfoundland is $50. 



