50 Deer and Antdope of North America 



early in October — sometimes not until Novem- 

 ber — they seek the does. The latter, especially 

 the younger ones, at first flee in frantic haste. 

 As the rut goes on the bucks become ever bolder 

 and more ardent. Not only do they chase the 

 does by night but also by day. I have sat on the 

 side of a ravine in the Bad Lands at noon and 

 seen a young doe race past me as if followed by 

 a wolf. When she was out of sight a big buck 

 appeared on her trail, following it by scent, also 

 at speed. When he had passed I got up, and the 

 motion frightened a younger buck which was fol- 

 lowing two or three hundred yards in the rear of 

 the big one. After a while the doe yields, and 

 the buck then accompanies her. If, however, it 

 is early in the season, he may leave her entirely 

 in order to run after another doe. Later in the 

 season he will have a better chance of adding the 

 second doe to his harem, or of robbing another 

 buck of the doe or does which he has accumu- 

 lated. I have often seen merely one doe and one 

 buck together, and I have often seen a single doe 

 which for several days was accompanied by sev- 

 eral bucks, one keeping off the others. But 

 generally the biggest bucks collect each for him- 

 self several does, yearlings also being allowed in 

 the band. The exact amount of companionship 

 with the does allowed these young bucks depends 

 somewhat upon the temper of the master buck. 



