HOW TO TRACK VERY WILD DEER. 141 



this side of the log, and standing up, too, although 

 you do not see them. 



5th. It is just as liable to move out of your sight as 

 in it. But then another one is just as liable to move 

 into your sight as remain out of it, as at present. 



On the whole, your best chance is to go back to 

 where you came to the creek a while ago, cross it, 

 and, stooping low, swing around in line with any little 

 rise of ground, windfall, or heavy clump of brush, 

 etc., you find between you and the deer, get behind 

 that and wait patiently. For if you try to get close 

 enough to the fallen tree to see the deer, you will be 

 quite apt to see nothing but the flip of their tails as 

 they make off in line with it. And if you wait a 

 while they will be quite certain to move and perhaps 

 come towards you. And if they lie down there, you 

 will then be able to approach much closer than you 

 now can, and get a much better running shot since 

 you would probably have to take one anyhow than 

 you now could. 



A very slight change of circumstances would modify 

 all this advice. If you were a good cool shot it would 

 be better perhaps to shoot from where you are; and 

 so it would be better even for a poor shot if he had to 

 approach that tree from the trail-side, or from open 

 ground above. And if there were a ridge near by on 

 the other side it would be better to get behind that. 

 And all these considerations might be changed again 

 by the question of wind. It would be impossible 

 within the limits of a readable book to go through 

 every case of this sort with its modifications. But 

 when you are once familiar with the representative 

 cases or leading conditions, nearly all the modifica- 

 sions will soon suggest themselves. There are of 



