DEER ON OPEN GROUND. 167 



CHAPTER XV. 



DEER ON OPEN GROUND. 



PERHAPS the most important question in hunting 

 open country is where to walk, on high or low ground. 

 This must not be confounded with the question of 

 where to hunt, on high or low elevations a question, 

 as we have seen, can in general be satisfactorily an- 

 swered only by an actual inspection of the ground 

 itself as all ground worth hunting must be examined. 

 But having selected the elevation of ground which 

 contains the most game,, then arises the question, 

 Where shall I walk, on high or low ground ? 



Very good authority says, " Always keep on high 

 ground." As we have seen, this is nearly always the 

 best plan in the woods. But for open country the 

 advice is bad, because stated without the exceptions, 

 which are fully equal to the rule itself. As watch- 

 towers, as shields behind which to approach your 

 game without it seeing you, ridges and hills are so 

 essential that if there are none you may generally 

 pronounce the ground worthless for still-hunting 

 game at all wild, especially antelope. But it by no 

 means follows that one should do most of his walk- 

 ing on the high ground. 



Where the ridges are low and the valleys narrow, it 

 is generally best to keep upon the ridges nearly all of 

 the time, certainly during the time the deer are on 

 foot. And where the ridges are low and the interven- 

 ing valleys are so narrow that you will not have to 



