6 2 Deer Breeding for Fine Heads 



In the English market prices are very bad, as people do not 

 seem to like venison ; but in the Paris market fully ten shillings 

 more can be got for every doe sent there during the winter 

 months. The French dealers prefer a large consignment sent at a 

 time, forty or fifty, whereas English dealers like only from four 

 to six carcases at a time, as the English market soon gets glutted. 



I have not tried sending the carcases of many sika deer to 

 market, but they ought to sell better, as, although smaller, the 

 venison is much better than that of fallow deer. In France they 

 would most likely compete with chevreuil (roe-deer) venison, which 

 is much liked on the Continent although despised in England and 

 Scotland. 



In order to shoot the deer in the head, it is necessary to have 

 a very accurate rifle ; it is brutal to shoot fallow deer with buck- 

 shot as is done in some parks, when, of course, the venison and 

 skin sell very badly as the body is shot all to pieces. 



As there is danger in most parks of shooting passers-by, especi- 

 ally if there is a right-of-way through the park, care must be 

 taken to use a rifle which only carries a short distance a Lee- 

 Metford or a Mauser would be very dangerous to use. 



I use either an old '36-bore rook-rifle, such as are no longer 

 made, but can be picked up second-hand there is a difficulty, how- 

 ever, in getting ammunition for such a weapon or a rifle I 

 have had specially made to shoot the -45 revolver-ammunition with 

 a Webley "man-stopping" bullet. 



This rifle takes a very small charge, thirteen grains black powder 

 or its equivalent of nitrate-powder, and carries only a very short 

 distance : as the bullet has a hollow cup in front, it opens out 



