AMERICAN DEER. 93 



have been posted at the different points or runs, where 

 the deer are likely to break cover or give the chance of a 

 shot, the dogs and drivers enter the forest at a distant 

 point, and the intervening tract is hunted with loud 

 halloos and the barking and yelping of the motley pack. 

 These dogs, however, are not taught to keep together 

 on one deer, but are allowed, or rather encouraged, to 

 chase different animals, a part of the pack following 

 the original or first viewed one, while the rest in twos 

 or threes are hunting others. These fly in different 

 directions simultaneously, with the hounds in full cry, 

 and the guns make with all speed for the points they 

 are likely to cross. The regular backwoodsman rarely 

 adopts this practice, for he seldom fires at a deer unless 

 it is stationary, and never attempts very long shots. 



The only really sportsman-like way of deer-killing 

 is "still-hunting" or stalking, which in the forest is 

 similar of course in all its details to the stalking of 

 either moose or caribou, and may be followed 

 equally in autumn or winter, the proper season being 

 from the 1st of September to the 31st of January. 

 In the former period the months of September and 

 October are the best, and at that time the Deer are 

 also more abundant, being driven to the lakes and 

 rivers as a refuge from the swarms of flies which 

 still infest the up-country forest. In stalking it is 



