Deer for Hunting 9 7 



Some deer are improved by being left out instead of being 

 taken, although it is, of course, necessary to know that the 

 owner of the land where the deer is left out will look after it, 

 and see that it is not shot. 



A deer left out in this way, when freshly found a few weeks 

 later, sometimes goes away straight and gives a good run. Most 

 likely the deer learns the country when out in this way, and thus 

 gets to have reliance on itself and knows where to go, whereas a 

 deer turned out in a country it does not know is sometimes 

 like a bagged rabbit turned out in a field, which merely squats and 

 lets itself be killed, whereas if it were bolted from its own burrow 

 it would run off without hesitation. 



As deer which run well and can be depended on are so valu- 

 able, it is curious that so many stag-hunts rely on getting deer 

 bought from anywhere. Such deer are seldom any good ; those 

 imported from Scotch deer-forests, from never having any jumping 

 to do at their home, being generally confirmed road-runners. 



Deer are sometimes trained over fences in large paddocks by 

 being driven by cracking whips or hunted by muzzled hounds. 



It ought to pay for someone to start a deer breeding and train- 

 ing establishment to supply stag-hunts with good animals ; each deer 

 being sold on approval, and if unsatisfactory and returned uninjured, 

 another given in its place. 



This depends, however, of course, on whether carted deer hunt- 

 ing is allowed to continue. 



It is curious how illogical the opponents of carted deer hunting 

 are ; nobody hates cruelty to animals more than myself, but this 

 is the very reason why I like "tame" stag hunting. 



