no THE DEER FAMILY 



senses are more delicate and he is more ready to take 

 alarm. This was, no doubt, true, comparing him with 

 the red deer, which had never heard a gun and which 

 were to be found in the little valleys near the mule- 

 deer's ground, but the mule-deer was never, in my 

 opinion, as keen and able to take care of himself as the 

 educated red deer of the Eastern States. The educa- 

 tion of the mule-deer has progressed rapidly, however, 

 and the stalking to-day is difficult enough to satisfy 

 the most experienced still-hunter. 



The rutting season of the mule-deer begins the end 

 of September or in October; in some places even later. 

 The young (usually two in number) are born late in 

 the spring, and are beautiful little animals spotted with 

 white like many of the other young deer. The bucks 

 are pugnacious during the rutting season, and fights 

 are common. They are more easily approached when 

 thus engaged. 



It was formerly the fashion to shoot mule-deer every- 

 where at any season of the year in order that the 

 shooter might try a gun or to see if he could hit them. 

 The laws now provide for a season which is of short 

 duration, and the killing of does and fawns is absolute- 

 ly prohibited. The sale of the game is also prohibited. 



