264 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



minutes just as well as instantly, the average deer-dog 

 of the period, like the retriever of the average hunter 

 with the shot-gun, always starts like a rocket at the 

 report of the gun. And having learned this, the next 

 step in his education quite naturally follows; namely, 

 running in without waiting for you to shoot. 



The first thing to do when a deer is wounded is 

 generally to do nothing. If he runs in a direction 

 where you can head him off and get another shot, it 

 is generally advisable to do so; but if he has not seen 

 you, and you have to run so that he will see you, you 

 had better not show yourself at all unless he is mak- 

 ing for thick brush and you can get another shot at 

 him before he reaches it. It is generally far better to 

 drop quietly out of sight and watch him. 



The action of a deer when wounded depends largely 

 upon where he is hit, but mainly upon whether he has 

 seen you or not, and also upon his wildness. If not 

 very wild, and he has not yet seen you, he will gener- 

 ally take a few jumps, perhaps not more than one or 

 two, then walk a few yards, stand still a while and look 

 around, and then lie down. If he has seen you, or 

 knows pretty well what the crack of a gun means, he 

 may run several hundred yards before stopping, and 

 then, after taking several backward looks and walking 

 a little, will lie down. If jumped and shot on the 

 run, he will probably run much farther than if shot 

 when standing and suspecting no danger. If near 

 brush or rough ground, a deer will be quite apt to 

 make for it if he sees you, and so certain to if pursued 

 that if you cannot make a good cut-off your only 

 chance of keeping him from the brush is to let him 

 entirely alone ; he may then lie down before he 

 reaches it. A deer only leg-broken will travel much 



