400 FOLLOWING WOUNDED DEER 



this limit, and this is, of course, but rarely of any 

 assistance, since, unless the nature of tiie ground 

 admits of the stalker being concealed, it is useless, 

 and such a restriction has doubtless been the cause 

 of many a ' prayer ' being said for such particular 

 neighbours, when a tired man has had to give up an 

 otherwise easy stalk on his own ground by reason of 

 such very scant courtesy. It is, however, the best 

 plan to endeavour to keep on good terms with such 

 cranky old lairds. 



When a deer is wounded and runs off, the stalker 

 must remain perfectly still and watch him with the glass, 

 and find out, where the blood is visible, whether he is 

 fatally wounded or not. If he is badly wounded, the 

 longer he is left the better, as he will get stiffer, and 

 be more easily despatched. If he goes away out of 

 sio-ht, he should be followed at once to where he dis- 

 appeared, and be as carefully searched for as if he 

 were expected to jump up ; and so, if not badly 

 wounded, and he has been approached without his 

 being aware of it, a second stalk may be got at him, 

 but if he catches sight of the stalker, it is * good-bye ' 

 to the stag. I once knew a case in which a friend of 

 mine wounded a stag which went for six miles before a 

 second shot was obtained by the professional, who for 

 half a day and a night followed him up, my friend 

 being altogether beaten out of time. This stag was 

 first shot at when he was galloping, and travelled all 

 this distance with a hind-leg broken. A broken hind- 

 leg of course prevents a beast lying down or going 

 up-hill ; so it made tracks over the flat, and went as if 

 nothing was amiss with it. 



A good tracker is a necessity, and without such 



