250 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



quite apt to make a long run; and it will be several 

 days before it returns to that part of its beat. There 

 are also so many more ears to hear you, so many 

 more eyes to see you and noses to smell you, and 

 some are always watching. They may be scattered 

 about over one acre, or over ten or more^ and if one 

 starts he generally carries the rest along in a general 

 stampede. To stalk a band requires in fact more 

 caution than to stalk a single deer, although your 

 chances of catching sight of game are much greater in 

 case of a band. 



A troublesome question often arises what to do when 

 in tracking a band you see a deer. It may be only a 

 single deer not belonging to the band. It may be one 

 of the band, and the nearest one to you. Or it may 

 be the farthest one off, and a dozen more may be 

 standing around in brush or lying down between you 

 and it. If it is within fair shot you should make sure 

 of it unless it is too small or poor, etc. For nowhere 

 is the maxim " A bird in the hand is worth two in 

 the bush" more true than in hunting deer or antelope. 

 There may be more near by, and the attempt to see 

 them may alarm the whole. Even antelope can lie on 

 quite level ground between you and one standing up 

 without your suspecting it, and if you raise your head 

 an inch more to look for them you may alarm the one 

 you can easily make sure of. But if the one you see 

 is too far off for a certain shot it may be bad policy 

 to shoot at it at once without waiting to see what is 

 closer by. What to do then must depend upon many 

 considerations. If the ground will allow closer ap- 

 proach without getting in sight or wind of game or 

 making too much noise, it is better to get nearer. If 

 it is at the time of day when the game is moving 



