THE COLUMBIA BLACK-TAILED DEER. 121 



hunt a week and never catch sight of a Deer. Their sense 

 of hearing and smell is so acute that they will discover the 

 hunter long before he suspects the presence of the game. 



When chased by hounds, they will take to water to throw 

 off the dogs; but this they do not do as readily as do the Vir- 

 ginia and White-tailed Deer. They seem to prefer leading the 

 hounds awhile before resorting to this their last expedient. 

 Hounding undoubtedly has a bad effect on any species of 

 Deer, for the sight .and sound of dogs pursuing them 

 frightens them so that they frequently desert a section 

 entirely when they are persistently hounded. Another bad 

 feature about this sport is that, in a country where hound- 

 ing is carried on to any great extent, the ranchmen or 

 farmers soon learn what the music of the hounds means, 

 and upon hearing them they immediately repair to the 

 nearest runway, shotgun in hand. The reader will doubt- 

 less understand the difficulty the Deer will experience, in 

 such a case, in getting through the line of pickets which soon 

 encircles it. 



The venison of an animal which has been running at its 

 highest speed for two or three hours must, of necessity, be 

 far inferior to that of an animal which meets death in a 

 milder manner. I have known a man to take great pride in 

 telling how his dogs, which were part Blood-hound, and 

 which were allowed to run freely in the woods, would take 

 the track of a Deer or an Elk and run the animal to death. 



But there are certain circumstances under which I can 

 see nothing unsportsmanlike in hounding Deer. Let us take 

 the following as an instance: A party of gentlemen, worn 

 out with the cares of business, decide to take a day in the 

 woods. Hounds are procured, and they repair to some part 

 of the country which is but little settled, and where Deer 

 are to be found. The stands are taken and the .dogs put 

 out. They take the track of a Deer, and away they go. 

 Probably for an hour or so the hunter has nothing to do but 

 smoke his pipe, keep his eyes open, and commune with 

 Nature. Seated on a .moss-covered log. with his gun by his 

 side, he watches the antics of the birds and squirrels, which 



