45 
BIG GAME SHOOTING OF KASHMIR AND ADJACENT HILL 
PROVINCES. 
By Lr.-Cont. A. E. WARD. 
(With two plates.) 
DEER. 
Omitting the chital or spotted deer which is only to be found in His Highness’ 
Game Reserve in the Jammu Province, the Kashmir Stag, the Barking Deer 
and the little Musk Deer are the only representatives. 
Tue KasHmMir Srac—Cervus cashmirianus. 
His Highness’ Game Reserves, called locally Rukhs, and the introduction of 
Game preservation laws have prevented the total destruction of this grand 
animal. 
At the present time the number of deer is on the increase in the Rukhs ; from 
these there should be a chance of their spreading into the neighbouring hills. 
The migration from the Rukhs is handicapped by Game license-holders who in 
the autumn watch for stags in the immediate vicinity of the closed ground, 
and in the winter by poachers who are constantly on the look-out. 
Now if we remember the difficulties experienced in preserving game at home 
over asmall area, we can imagine what has to be faced in the case of tens of 
thousand square miles of country. It is useless to imagine that poaching in 
Kashmir can be stopped. 
Leopards take many deer, both stags and hinds. Bears are always on the 
look out for new born fawns. The Indian martens when hunting in families will 
pull down fawns of six or eight months of age. The destructive agencies at 
work prevent any large increase of the Kashmir stag, hence it is doubtful whether 
there is a larger number than existed say ten years ago. 
In the early days of the shooting season it is necessary to visit the birch 
forests, for the big stags are shy, they have been driven by the flocks of goats into 
the high mountains and crags and until these flocks come down, the large horns 
are hard to get. Still grand heads are to be got. 
Owing to the kindness of Major Wigram and from perusal of the Rukh 
records, the present list has been made. 
The weight of the horns is really the only true test. Along point on top will 
often give a false idea of the true size. Againsome horns are very thin and 
good orbad grazing has much tosay. Ina favourable season horns are 
heavy, in a dry spring they run smaller. 
Divergency at 
tips. 
In- Length of Girth above 
dex horns. | browantler. | Tines. Sportsman. 
No. Greatest.| Tip to 
tip. 
| | 
B13” 63” 41" | 21” | 6x5 |G. O. G. Rogers, 
1 
2 50! « 63” 44” | 90” | 7x6'|Game ‘Department, 
1920. 
3 48” Gera Wer ete g Wf Wags 5x5 |A. E. Ward in Sind 
| | Valley. 
4 474” 6% DO tandne 5x5 \Etherington Smith, 
5 
1910. 
22” |-6x%6 | P. B. Vandertye, 
1910. 
