Stag-himting 



that season on the Quantocks. This was near St. 

 Audries, Sir A. Acland Hood's seat. The head 

 had four on one top, and four and an offer on 

 the other. Round outer curve of inner horn, 

 36 inches ; width at fork, inside to outside, 30J 

 inches ; perpendicular height, 29 inches ; under 

 curve of brows, 14 inches. This head, for sheer 

 weight of beam, will probably never be surpassed ; 

 it graces the hall at St. Audries, and it is said 

 to be the largest wild trophy ever secured in the 

 British Islands. 



So much for the mode of hunting the wild red 

 deer. That of following the carted deer or stags 

 by the other packs of staghounds is another and 

 simpler matter. 



The average visitor to Exmoor is a fox-hunter 

 or harrier-man, and his annual visit lasts from 

 three weeks to a month. The winter weather here 

 is too varied and too often doubtful to attract 

 visitors. The first ten weeks, therefore, of the 

 stag-hunting season bring out large fields, so the 

 winter hunting is confined to local sportsmen, 

 twenty to fifty all told. Again, bump of locality 

 and knowledge of woodcraft are most essential 

 on Exmoor, especially when a short cut home 

 is desirable and heavy mists gather suddenly. 

 Mr. E. A. V. Stanley hunted sixty couple here 

 this season. About the middle of October stag- 

 hunting ends, and then, after a week or two of 



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