28 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



higher up, keep in the thick chapparal all day, and 

 double their vigilance when they were out of it. They 

 soon learn to watch more of the time; to lie down 

 where they can see their back track; to go farther 

 back into higher, rougher, and more brushy ground; 

 to lie down longer during the day; to feed, water, 

 and lounge about more at night; and to be on foot 

 less during the day. They also learn to run on hear- 

 ing a noise without stopping to look back; to keep on 

 running long past the point where )"ou can head them 

 off; to slip away before you get in sight of them; to 

 skulk and hide in thick brush and let you pass them; 

 and a score of other tricks we will notice as we go on. 



While I prefer still-hunting to hounding as a far 

 more scientific, wide-awake, and manly sport, as well 

 as more healthful and less monotonous, there is no 

 doubt in my mind which makes deer the wildest and 

 drives them out the quickest. I have not a particle 

 of interest in the question of " still-hunting versus 

 hounding;" for the world is all before me and I shall 

 hunt as I choose, but I want the beginner to under- 

 stand thoroughly the effect of still-hunting on his 

 game, whether my opinion suit him or not. 



Keeping well in mind these points, go directly to 

 the oak ridges if it is acorn time; for here you will 

 find the most indications as to the number of deer 

 about, though these indications are the least reliable 

 of all. The less the deer are disturbed the more time 

 they will spend upon these ridges, and generally the 

 larger will be the proportion of deer from the whole 

 range that frequent them to feed. Hence the greater 

 will be the quantity of what is called "sign." 



Signs consist of tracks, droppings, beds, pawing or 

 scraping places, places where the brush has been 



