LOOKING FOR DEER THAT ARE ON FOOT. 61 



long-run as anything else in still-hunting. You must 

 rid your mind at once of the besetting sin of the tyro 

 the idea that nearly every bush contains a deer. 

 It is true that a deer may be in any bush. And you 

 must hunt and look upon that assumption. But it is 

 equally true and often equally probable that there is 

 not one within quarter of a mile of you. And the speed 

 of your movements must be often based upon that 

 assumption. Between these two conflicting principles 

 you must learn to make a happy compromise; yield- 

 ing sometimes almost entirely to one, sometimes 

 almost entirely to the other; sometimes taking the 

 golden mean between the two. 



Here we are on the ridges at last. And you at once 

 see signs of deer about you. Here, there, and every- 

 where are places where sharp-toed hoofs have pressed 

 down the dead leaves. In some places they have cut 

 through the leaves. In some places they have pressed 

 a damp leaf into the ground so that it forms a lining 

 to the track. Pick up a few of the dry leaves and see 

 if any of those lying next the damp ones below are 

 moistened any on the under side. Here is one with a 

 distinct trace of dampness where it has been pressed 

 against a wet one below. The leaf has had no time 

 to dry since it was done. Here, too, close beside it 

 are droppings that have had no time to dry (or freeze, 

 if it be cold weather). Put your fingers in several of 

 these footprints and see if they are not of different 

 sizes. Observe the size also of the droppings. Let 

 nothing escape you that will indicate the number of 

 the deer, so that you do not mistake the work of one 

 for that of half a dozen. Here is a bit of ground that 

 is quite bare. And upon it are plainly visible three 

 different-sized tracks. One is that of a big buck. 



