282 
FOREST ANt) STREAM 
[Oct. i, 1904. 
in the woods they are much harder to discern, and often 
an inexperienced, untrained eye will pass over a deer 
within, close proximity. 
When, during the forepart of September, they almost 
entirely leave off feeding around the water and, in fact, 
there is usually little food left by them, the summer 
coat is rapidly shed and the soft, beautiful fall blue coat 
donned. They are now even more difficult to see in the 
woods than before, melting into the background of gray 
tree trunks and old logs with perfect harmony. Too 
perfect, perhaps, on certain occasions when the hunter 
hears the bushes crack, and . looks a moment too late 
as a fine buck bounds out of sight. 
The bucks are in their prime condition from the 
middle of September to the same time in October. 
With exceptions all the does are fat and sleek at this 
season, many being just as watchful and wild as the 
bucks who, with bright newly peeled horns, excel in 
appearance their looks at any other time. 
Very few deer may be found on the ponds after the 
hunting season opens, so only a small per cent, of those 
shot are killed in this manner. They move around 
through the woods much more than at an earlier period, 
[ceding and remaining in the vicinity of clearings, es- 
pecially if oats or any other grain is planted there, be- 
sides, frequenting knolls and mountains as a favorite 
o-round. A good, though expensive way to help deer 
Through a coming winter, one of the few feasible plans 
I have seen carried out with success besides felling 
saplings in hard weather for them to browse off, is to 
plant a field or clearing with potatoes, cow-peas, buck- 
wheat or oats, and fence the 
former varieties around in rope. 
This is about the most serviceable 
method to prevent them from eat- 
ing the young shoots, and then 
when, the grain Or vegetables are 
well ripened take it down and allow 
the deer to feed at will. The 
nourishment they obtain from such 
a larder gives them an extra coat- 
ing of fat for the winter, strength- 
ens and invigorates those under- 
conditioned, and in every way is a 
decided benefit to withstand cold 
and starvation. 
The rifle most popular at present 
with a great many of those who 
hunt in the north woods is the .30- 
30 caliber, and where they are 
found the soft-nose bullet is usu- 
ally apparent in almost every case. 
Not so often, however, are they 
found in the hands of practiced 
sportsmen, who realize that a high 
power rifle is far from essential 
for shooting in this region where 
very long shots are practically im- 
possible. Also, an extra amount 
of danger attaches itself to that 
element, considering the distance 
one of these bullets will travel. 
Out west, where the conditions are 
entirely different, it is undoubted- 
ly an all around meritorious 
weapon, for most of the shots are 
at long ranges, so that high 
power velocity becomes a necessity, 
whereas in the Adirondacks it is 
not. And it always seemed to 
me that the credit of a shot 
should not be placed to the bullet 
but rather to accuracy and knowing the correct point 
to aim for. On the other hand, a running shot or 
stationary one of several hundred yards, usually, the 
prevailing condition out west, the best of game shots 
will not always be able to hit in the exact spot, and 
therefore require a bullet more deadly in its effects. 
But, where the ranges are comparatively short, say 
under one hundred yards, a solid old-fashioned lead 
bullet is quite sufficient for anyone knowing the rudi- 
ments of deer hunting in this locality. Certainly a 
good sportsman must feel better satisfied if he makes a 
clean creditable shot with one of these than bringing in 
a deer torn and mangled by a soft-nosed bullet. 
The former makes a small, almost invisible hole where 
it penetrates, and a very little larger mark, should it 
come out on the opposite side. A useful and advan- 
tageous weapon for an experienced man, but not a 
novice, is a three-barreled gun, two-shot barrels with 
a rifle barrel underneath; a lever throws the plunger 
of the right-hand barrel on the latter and thus it may be 
manipulated with great ease and quickness. 1 he .38- 
55 caliber is usually the size bore of the rifle, and with 
buckshot, fine shot and ball always ready it proves 
more than serviceable on many occasions if one comes 
on a flock of partridges, or jumps a deer when, buck- 
shot is very welcome, for nine times out of ten shoot- 
ing at a running object in thick timber with a rifle 
even at close range would be a clean miss. To do well 
with this gun, the hunter must bear in mind the fact 
of drawing down rather fine on the object he is shoot- 
ing at; and here lies the disadvantage for the novice, 
as in the moment of excitement he is liable to forget 
this necessity, take a full bead, fire, and, in all proba- 
bility, lose the deer. 
Shooting high is a common fault with many, es- 
pecially beginners, for when thrown on their own re- 
sources usually accompanied by a pounding heart as 
they draw up to aim, with a great majority the thought 
rot to take too coarse a bead is forgotten and misses 
or unsatisfactory kills result. . . 
Thus the best remedy in the beginning for one not 
desiring to make these so-called "botches" from un- 
trained nerves and lack of experience is to have a rifle 
siohted a little low in order that a full bead may be 
taken with safety. Express sights are good for the 
reason of their sharp, well-defined outlines, and where 
a rifle is properly sighted, that is, so the hunter can 
hold practically the same on a deer from forty to a 
hundred yards, they prove most favorable. A .38-40 
caliber with these sights is alight, handy weapon for 
shooting in the woods, wife a .40-65, although a 
trifle heavier to carry, is wry ; effective in disposing of 
a large deer that, even if struck in the right spot, would 
probably run farther with a bullet from the former than 
one from the latter. But here, as in the case of favor- 
ites in big-game shooting, the choice of a rifle is a 
matter of taste and judgment. 
Perhaps it would not be out of place to spare a few 
words to an essential point connected with successful 
hunting, namely, a proper knowledge of where to hold 
on a deer, varying with the different angles he is stand- 
ing at, and under various conditions, whether in the 
woods or in the open. 
For instance, here is a deer standing in a clearing, 
no trees, brush or undergrowth to obstruct the full 
view of his outline; a broadside shot being the first 
presented, hold on the center of the shoulder, a little 
below what might be calculated as a middle line. A 
good plan told me by one of experience, is to draw 
up on the foreleg when taking aim, as it affords an 
admirable mark in determining the shoulder's center. 
Perhaps the deer now turns, heading away from the 
hunter's position and offering a quartering shot; a 
bullet placed anywhere in the side or behind the 
shoulder, provided it is not high, will rake forward and 
surely prove fatal. 
Standing head on or facing the hunter, a deer's chest 
and neck look no wider than the edge of a knife blade 
and confines the bullet to narrow limits. However, if 
hit in either of these places, excepting a mere graze, 
the deer will be bagged with the credit of an especially 
good shot as well, provided the animal stood at a 
fairly long range. 
A FAVORABLE RESORT FOR AN EVENING HUNT. 
Undoubtedly one of the most difficult positions is 
when the deer stands head on, partly quartering. The 
point of the shoulder should be the mark, and only a 
btillseye will answer satisfactorily, for if the bullet 
strikes farther back, although mortally wounded, the 
deer will go a long distance before giving in, escape 
the hunter and cause him deep mortification. Missing 
amounts to very little compared with the after effects 
011 a sportsman if he wounds and loses a deer, for he is 
far from what many misguided people consider him, 
namely, the essence of hard, unfeeling cruelty. 
Shooting in the woods where deer invariably are 
partly obscured by brush, trees and fallen timber en- 
tails a good deal more difficulty in placing the bullet 
in the proper spot than when in the open with nothing 
to hide the outline. Often only the head and neck will 
be seen if one comes on a deer standing behind a 
brush-pile or windfall, and should be a fairly long 
distance off in the woods, it is no easy matter to make 
a successful neck shot. Again, nothing but the quarters 
of the animal may be visible from the hunter's position, 
and if such is the case, it is always better to wait until 
a more favorable stand is taken before firing. Even 
though the deer might be ready to run, in nearly every 
instance it is advisable to let it go rather than make a 
"botch" shot, unless it is an especially large buck, when 
the temptation could hardly be resisted. 
Pond shooting under certain conditions is hard, while 
at other times it becomes comparatively easy, according 
to the weather, sun and wind. Should there be a 
breeze, causing the boat to have a rocking, unsteady 
motion, it is by no means an unusual occurrence to miss 
a deer clean at fifty yards. Otherwise, on a calm day 
and even going up with the wind, there is little motion 
and the conditions are therefore far less difficult. 
Numerous have been the downfalls of unsophisticated 
hunters who considered that a bullet need only hit a 
deer to kill it, and the result of such ideas is disastrous, 
for where one animal is properly shot and killed, scores 
are miserably wounded and lost. 
A good plan to follow, when practicing at a target 
simply for the purpose of improving one's game shoot- 
ing, is always to shoot off-hand if the distance is riot 
over a hundred yards, thereby gaining steadiness and 
increased confidence. Seldom when still-hunting in 
the woods one has the opportunity of getting a rest of 
any kind, so it is better to be independent, and then, if 
the conditions are such that an advantageous rest may 
be taken, the benefit is all the greater. As regards to 
position when shooting, all old and experienced sports- 
men advocate a natural upright posture, no humping, 
awkward crouch, but gripping either rifle or shotgun 
firmly, especially with the left hand, which is held well 
forward on the barrels. Nowadays in the target prac- 
tice of both Army and National Guard, the left hand is 
held very close to the right, and in some cases over- 
laps it; but, whereas, this is probably beneficial in the 
latter, in game shooting, the former undoubtedly is the 
best position and certainly the most convenient. 
Various methods of deer hunting are practiced in the 
North Woods, although within recent years many of the 
old ways have been restricted by the law, and undoubted- 
ly for the good in the case of hounding. Nevertheless it ' 
was exhilarating and pleasurable on a frosty autumn 
morning, when the mountains were a glory of red. yel- 
low, and russet, to watch on some lake or pond, with 
eyes and ears strained for the first glimpse of the driven 
deer or voices of the hounds. If the mellow baying 
drew nearer, making one's heart beat fast with expecta- 
tion, it was a thrilling sight to see a fine buck break from 
the woods bordering the shore and plunge into the water. 
The chase that followed was the sport in which the 
pleasure lay, for when it came to the shooting, unless the 
sportsman allowed the animal to reach shore, taking a 
hard shot just before it disappeared from sight, there 
was little sport about the thing. In fact, it always 
seemed an unsatisfactory way of bagging a deer; and 
then the many instances of butchery ensuing from the 
practice was sufficient to turn many sportsmen against it. 
Jacking was practically done away with when the open 
season was changed to September 1, but as much of the 
enjoyment lay in the fascination of floating on a wilder- 
ness lake with the dark, silent woods surrounding, and 
everything shrouded in the wonder- 
ful mystery of night, the same 
pleasure may be partaken of nowa- 
days in July and August, armed 
only, however, with a jack-light. 
In certain localities deer are 
hunted by stationing the sportsman 
on a runway, while another man or 
guide takes a circle through the 
woods in the vicinity, starting up 
a deer that perhaps may give the 
hunter a shot if it happens to go 
his way. But undoubtedly a large 
element of danger attaches to this 
method, and probably a number of 
fatal accidents have occurred from 
its practice. 
Pond shooting is most enjoyable, 
but of course there is not much 
chance of killing deer in this man- 
ner by September. However, dur- 
ing the early part of the month, 
if one watches faithfully on some 
favorable lake or pond, he may 
pick up a small buck or a well-con- 
ditioned doe. It is a curious thing 
that but seldom or never are really 
large deer killed in this way, and it 
only goes to show how well big 
bucks can look after themselves. 
Sometimes during August it is not 
unusual to come on one feeding or 
swimming along the shore, but such 
an occurrence at a later period 
would be quite remarkable. Once 
while fishing on a secluded lake 
bordered by unbroken forest, we 
happened to round a point that hid 
a picturesque little bay from view, 
and here a pleasant sight met our 
eyes. Standing on a high grassy 
bank shelving up to the woods from a narrow 
sand beach, was a handsome buck with head erect 
directly facing our position. His horns curved in 
symmetrical lines against the dark trees, and his 
broad, deep chest proved that he was an old- 
timer. But a short distance from him, knee-deep in 
the water, stood a sleek doe, broadside, her ears poked 
inquiringly forward as she looked at the buck, evidently 
having noticed his startled attitude. This was one of 
the few occasions that we chanced to surprise a large 
deer on a pond or lake in the daytime. As a general rule 
it is a hard matter to paddle up to deer on a sheet of 
water if they are at all wild or on the outlook for boats, 
and even with the conditions perfect, an approach of 
under a hundred yards becomes a difficult proposition; 
and the ensuing shot, if taken, is not by any means an 
easy one. However, there is some advantage in the fact 
that the outline of the animal usually can be seen clearly, 
unless it happens to stand behind a log or alder bushes 
or in the long grass of a marsh. 
Peep sights are advantageous in the open or on a pond, 
but they become practically useless in the woods, on ac- 
count of the various lights and shadows. Here, as in 
the practice of shooting offhand at a target, it is perhaps 
best to use open sights, purely from the same point of 
view, in that it makes one more confident and inde- 
pendent. The average rifle, however, generally does not 
have peep sights, and this is meant only to include three- 
barreled and others so equipped. 
To spend the day watching on some woodland lake is 
very pleasant, especially should it culminate in bagging a 
good deer; and to illustrate better such an outing, per- 
haps it would be worth while to give a short account of 
a successful incident. 
The weather should at least be clear in order to thor- 
oughly enjoy hunting after this method; and in fact if 
it is cold, cloudy or wet, the chances of obtaining a shot 
are reduced more than ever; whereas sunshine and 
warmth are decidedly favorable. Supposing that the 
pond is surrounded by wild picturesque scenery with no 
sign of civilization to mar its seclusion and quietude, 
and also that deer are not few nor far between in the 
vicinity, we _ find this mellow September morning two 
hunters stationed on the watch point projecting from 
the shore about half-way down the pond. It commands 
a good view of nearly all the little bays and stretches of 
yellow marsh grass bordering the edge of the woods; 
*he still reflections broken here and there by a light 
breath of wind, or by a widening circle where a second 
before a plump trout leaped out to seize a tempting fly. 
One of the hunters, with field-glass at hand, is keeping 
a sharp lookout, scanning the shores, with his field-glass 
