434 
at some distance from his bed. Such a deer 
is most difficult to approach, for he knows 
every possible ruse of escape peculiar to the 
lay of the country. 
There is a peculiar fascination in hunting 
the blacktail, his habits and ranges being so 
varied that there is no limit to the ever- 
changing phases of the quest. And the best 
time is at sunrise, when the deer are feeding, 
for they are less cautious then, and all woods 
dwellers being on the move, making more or 
less noise, deer do not observe as carefully 
as they do later in the day. Even when feed- 
ing they are most watchful, usually taking a 
look between each bite. In the summer they 
feed mostly at night and retire before the 
flies appear. And during moonlight nights 
they feed wholly by night, traveling a great 
deal as well, and at dawn retiring to the 
deep, brushy cafions to ruminate and rest. 
These habits should be understood by the 
hunter, for his success depends on his 
knowledge of the places likely to be used by 
deer for their rest. 

RECREATION , 
The blacktails seem to know the various 
calls of birds and squirrels. I have watched 
them feeding when the woods swarmed with 
myriads of birds and all their strange morn- 
ing calls penetrated every recess of the 
mountain and forest, and the wily 
animals seemed to accept the gleeful notes 
of the busy birds as an indication of 
security. But how different their actions 
when the sharp warning call of a squirrel or 
a note of defiance from a startled bird caused 
ominous silence. On many such occasions 
I have seen these deer disappear from their 
feeding range like passing shadows. When 
thus roused, they rarely run, but usually . 
sneak into some protecting cover and await 
developments. 
One of the chief attractions of hunting 
this deer is the unexpected, ever-changing 
environment as one continues his mountain 
climbing. There are so many happy com- 
binations that always fill one with inspira- 
tion. To look downward thousands of feet, 
over a magnificent stretch of dark green 
A FINE OCTOBER BLACK-TAILED BUCK—-AN AMPLE REWARD OF A HUNTER’S SKILL AND PERSISTENCE 
