STILL-HUNTING ON OPEN GROUND. 165 



woods with the same amount of noise he would not 

 get even a sight of them. So even the best of hunters 

 must often make a noise in the brush of open ground. 

 But though, on account of the greater distances of 

 game, etc., in open ground, noise is not so fatal to suc- 

 cess as in the woods, it still does no good and may do 

 harm. Where a noisy hunter sees one deer, two slip 

 away without his dreaming of their existence. 



The question of wind is sometimes more important 

 and at other times less important than in the woods. 

 A canon, valley, or even a hill may alter the course 

 of the wind that a moment ago you thought you had 

 in your face. And a cafion carries the wind farther 

 and faster than any current in the woods. On ridges, 

 etc., it is of not so much consequence, as the currents of 

 the intermediate valleys will generally keep the scent 

 from crossing from ridge to ridge. The distance, too, 

 at which game may be seen often makes it of less im- 

 portance than it is in the woods where the distances 

 are less. 



The question of sun is here of more importance 

 than anywhere else. And where your game must be 

 seen at very long distances, as on long rolling prairie- 

 or table-land, or long wavy hills without much ele- 

 vation, everything else should often be sacrificed to it. 



The " lay of the land" is here quite as important to 

 learn as it is in the woods. And what is known as 

 " the run of the deer" is even more so, for it is more 

 variable. You must be careful how you decide that 

 there is no game until you have searched not only 

 different kinds of ground, different kinds of brush, but 

 especially different elevations. I have often found 

 fine-looking ground bare of deer, and a mile away 

 found plenty on the same kind of ground. But they 



