THE RED DEER 
most healthy kind of exercise, in the purest of atmospheres, among 
the grandest scenery to be found in Britain. Unless stalking in a bad 
forest or on sheep ground, he spies deer, and from that moment 
till the shot is fired which is to decide whether he is to go home a 
happy man or the reverse, his attention is so absorbed that hours 
fly like minutes and minutes like seconds. Watching a herd of deer, 
sometimes for hours, is often sufficient enjoyment for those who 
love to observe the habits and note the instincts of wild animals. Then 
there are the difficulties with which the deer -stalker has to contend 
before getting within shot of the deer; the exciting moment when the 
sudden appearance of a hind or a sheep, or change of wind, threatens 
to upset his most carefully considered strategy and spoil his stalk; 
then the last crawl to some particular boulder or heathery knoll 
within shot of which the big stag is grazing, or the more easy 
approach to an overhanging precipitous rock where he may lie 
down in comfort and ‘wait for him to rise,’ and, lastly, when he does 
rise, the thrilling moment before the shot is fired. ‘ To be or not to 
be! ’ Gan any man who has gone through such scenes and experi- 
ences say that even an unsuccessful day in a deer forest is not a thing 
worth living for ? ” 
Bad weather, the spoil-sport of so many pastimes, is seldom experi- 
enced in the north until the end of September, by which time the stalker 
is usually in a high state of physical fitness and should be quite capable 
of withstanding the slight hardship of driving wind and rain. Moreover, 
It is nearly always possible to gain the shelter of some “ knowe,” or rock, 
during the long waits which are sometimes essential for the deer to get 
into position or others to move out of the line of approach. Cunning methods 
of light and warm clothing too — easily carried by any man — now assist 
the stalker as they never did in days gone by, so that it is not necessary 
to be wet and uncomfortable even in the worst weather if the stalker 
knows how to guard against it. Wherefore it is a great mistake to refuse 
to take the hill when everything looks black and cheerless outside. All we 
should ask is that the “ tops ” are clear and the day a long one. Deer 
are much less restless in bad weather and easier to approach, although 
harder to spy, and some of the best days I remember were begun under 
the most unfavourable conditions. 
“ I remember once,” says Lochiel [“ Fur and Feather Series,” p. 72] 
” when staying with a friend who owns one of the best forests in 
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