THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 151 



shot, should his first prove ineffectual ; for it is not un- 

 common for a herd to stand stock-still on hearing the 

 report of a gun, even when one of their number has 

 fallen a victim thereto. The pause is but for an in- 

 stant, and the hunter must be quick to take advantage 

 of it, or his chance will be gone before he is aware of 

 it ; for, recovering quickly from the shock or alarm, or 

 whatever it may be, the herd will dash off at a rattling 

 pace. A caribou, if not mortally wounded, will en- 

 deavor to keep up with the herd, and will travel a long 

 way without giving out. If near the sea-coast, the 

 wounded animal seeks it to die, and so is often found 

 by the hunter. In such cases the skill of the Indian 

 again comes into play, and he will follow the track of 

 tiie wounded animal, readily picking it out from all the 

 others and seldom failing to run it down. The Indians 

 say that the caribou likes to feed on sea-weed, and goes 

 to the coast in the spring and fall of the year for that 

 purpose." 



The caribou has the sense of smell wonderfully de- 

 veloped and relies largely upon its nose to escape its 

 enemies. It is absolutely necessary to approach it 

 against the wind, and the rule, so often referred to in 

 the chapters on the other deer and the antelope, of see- 

 ing the game before being seen, should be observed. 

 Since the caribou is a Northern animal, there is usually 

 snow on the ground in the shooting season, and its 

 trail, of course, is more easily followed in the snow. It 

 is well to be equipped with snow-shoes and to know 

 how to use them, since the snow is often too deep to 

 travel without them. The rifle is the proper weapon. 

 The ball and charge should be heavy rather than light. 



