118 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



or next week. Again, a road made by a small band of 

 deer passing only once over a piece of soft ground 

 may have all the appearance of a runway and yet 

 never again be used. The best thing to do with run- 

 ways, except for hounding, is to let them entirely 

 alone. One can do an immense amount of aggravat- 

 ing waiting at even the best of them. And if deer are 

 plenty enough to make it worth while to watch a run- 

 way at all, you can generally do better by keeping in 

 motion, as you have done before " running-time." 

 Though the " rutting-time" is long, the part of it that 

 will be of much aid to the novice is very short; while 

 the ease, advantages, and pleasures of lying by a run- 

 way and taking in a string of bucks are most absurdly 

 exaggerated. Moreover, the does, yearlings, and fawns 

 are just as wild now as at any other time. And even 

 the old buck, though he may be a crazy fool while 

 actually running, yet that same buck, when he cools 

 down and goes off to feed or lie down, is just about 

 as wary and hard to approach as at any other time of 

 year. When the leaves are dry and stiff, or from any 

 cause the woods cannot be traversed quietly, then 

 runway watching may do. 



Otherwise the best way to utilize "running-time" 

 for both sport and success is to hunt just about as 

 we did before, but with a slight change of ground. 

 In this way we shall lose no other advantages and re- 

 tain all the advantages of the " running-time." And 

 it certainly has advantages which can neither be ig- 

 nored nor despised. 



As in your other still-hunting, you must not let the 

 sun tread upon your heels, but should be in the woods 

 early. And you might as well go, as before, directly 

 to the oak ridges, because the does and yearlings and 



