52 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



when watering very near a house or spring where they 

 may see people passing, even though they are not 

 shot at. In the forests of nearly all the Eastern States, 

 especially in the mountains, water is so abundant that 

 little use can be made, in still-hunting proper, of the 

 question, When and where does a deer water? For 

 fire-hunting, etc., the question has its importance. 

 And even in those dry countries where the water-holes 

 are scarce one must beware for the reasons hereto- 

 fore given of placing too much reliance upon a deer's 

 habits in regard to drinking. 



A deer is, however, quite certain to feed more or 

 less after daybreak, even though he may have been 

 on foot the greater part of the night. The deer be- 

 longs to that class of animals like the horse, the ox, 

 etc., that can see tolerably well in the dark and always 

 do a certain amount of moving about at night, but 

 nevertheless prefer a little more light when it is not 

 too inconvenient to get it. So that, though he may be 

 never so well fed during the night, he is quite likely 

 to take a little more browse or a few more acorns at 

 daybreak. 



Like a cow or horse in good pasture a deer may do 

 all of his feeding on an acre or two of ground, or he 

 may straggle over fifty or a hundred acres of equally 

 good feed. Which he will do it is impossible to deter- 

 mine except approximately. When in heavy brush 

 he is apt to feed close. So when he has been much on 

 foot during the night, as during full moon; so when he 

 is hunted much. On the contrary, in thin brush or 

 during the dark of the moon, or when little disturbed, 

 he is more apt to straggle about while feeding. The 

 quantity of food at hand seems to make little differ- 

 ence. A deer will often wander on over ridge after 



