254 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



drop or back out of sight and try to sneak around 

 after it. It is quite apt to leave as soon as you get 

 out of sight. Even the little cotton-tail rabbit, when 

 at all wild, has an idea that this proceeding means 

 mischief, and both deer and antelope are generally so 

 deeply impressed with that idea that in such case you 

 should risk a much longer shot than when the game 

 does not see you. If too far off and you have a com- 

 panion at hand, leave him for the game to watch while 

 you go around. 



When you see game at a long distance, before you 

 start off to make a detour for it wait long enough to 

 find out what it is doing. It may see you and leave 

 as above shown, and if it is to leave it had better leave 

 while you can see it and know where it is going, etc. 

 Or it may be feeding on a course, in which case it may 

 be best to first learn its course. Or it may be stand- 

 ing around preliminary to lying down, in which case 

 you have plenty of time and will be quite certain of a 

 shot. Or it may be merely stopping an instant on a 

 long walk, in which case you do not want to sneak on 

 the vacant place, but want to know where it is going. 



Of the many idle theories among hunters about 

 deer there is one that demands some attention because 

 there is really some truth in it, or, rather, it is truth 

 wrongly stated. This is what is called the " moon 

 theory." It is stated in various ways, but the sub- 

 stance of it is that when the moon is above the hori- 

 zon during the day and when it is directly opposite 

 the zenith deer are on foot feeding, etc. When the 

 moon is above the horizon during most of the day it 

 is not much above it during the night. If in the last 

 quarter or in the first quarter, it is above the horizon 

 more during the day than at night. Consequently so 



