knobs in a few weeks after the old ones are dropped,
and are full-grown by August. Almost to the last
they are rather soft, have blood-vessels and nerves,
and are therefore subject to frequent accidents and
deformations.
In regard to clothing and accoutrements the
reader is referred to the chapter on Moose-Hunting,
as the requirements for still-hunting that animal are
practically identical with deer-hunting necessities. A
Deer-Hunting 347
typical costume may consist of felt hat, soft silk
neckerchief, thin pure-woollen underwear,
grey woollen shirt, flannel-lined brown
corded waistcoat with deep pockets, neutral-coloured
coat or sweater (in very cold weather both), belt
(with dull buckle) on which are fastened hunting-
knife sheath and cartridge loops, soft but stout woollen
trousers tucked into heavy woollen stockings or
socks, and double-soled moccasins. Knickerbockers
with woollen leggings are also good. If high-legged
larrigans are worn they must be covered with the
trousers or stockings, as otherwise the underbrush
scratches against them noisily. In cold weather
a pair of thick knit woollen gloves or mittens are a
necessity, though some prefer buckskin. I have
found the latter cold when wet, while the wool is
always warm. The emergency lunch and the water-
proof matchbox should always be in the pocket.
A binocular in the north woods is generally more
bother than worth, except in bare, mountainous
regions, or in Newfoundland.
A big, heavy bullet is not so necessary in shooting
deer as moose or bear, and many sportsmen incline
to the use of such rifles as the Springfield
.30, the Savage .303, or the Winchester
.30 or .33, of course with soft-nosed bullets. But a
large class will decidedly prefer a bigger calibre,
such as the .45-. 70 and .35 Winchester or the automatic
.35. The only objection of any moment to the use of
the heavier bullets is that they often spoil much
meat; but the vital parts of the animal do not lie
under the best meat, and even if they did the loss
of a little meat would be a small price to pay for the
348 The Way of the Woods
sudden and easy death of the quarry. In case a
small calibre is used the new Hoxie cartridge, which
has a quickly expanding bullet, may be recommended.
Loop-straps, with room for a dozen cartridges, and
easily fastened to the belt, can be had of the dealers.
r t -A Carried in this manner the cartridges do
not rattle noisily as when carried in the
pocket. You will have from four to ten cartridges in
your rifle-magazine besides the extra dozen, enough
to kill a whole herd of deer.
Before starting out, practice with your rifle upon
objects in different lights and at different elevations.
For running deer a barrel running down
hill is a good target. Do not try to follow
the barrel with your rifle, but aim at some point
that will be traversed by the barrel and shoot when
the barrel crosses it. Sight your rifle for 80 yards;
that is, set the sights so that, using a natural bead,
neither too fine nor too coarse, the rifle will shoot
neither over nor under. Thus sighted it will be
found that you can shoot point-blank, as it is called,
at game anywhere between distances of 30 to 150
yards without changing the sights, by taking a finer
or coarser bead, as the case may be, the inch or two
difference in the flight of the bullet being no great
matter.
Practice shooting both offhand and with a rest,
but when drawing a bead on game take every advan-
Shooting tage. Kneel or take a good rest against
at Game a tree or over a rock if the situation will
allow. Be expeditious, but deliberate. Never take
Deer-Hunting 349
a pot-shot at a patch of colour in the bush; wait
for a better opportunity and perhaps refrain from
slaying a fellow-man.
Carry your weapon in the hollow of your arm,
pointing at the ground, or, if someone is in front,
of! to one side; or over the shoulder, Carrying
but the usual method, with the trigger- the Rifle
guard down, is dangerous to the front sight, as it is
very apt to come in sharp contact with limbs and be
knocked out of plumb. Rather turn the under side
of the rifle up, or, if leading, carry the stock over the
shoulder and hold the rifle by the barrel. Carry the
barrel empty and throw in a cartridge only when
there is an actual probability of seeing game. Then
carry the hammer at half-cock, or, in the case of
a hammerless, with the safety-catch on. Get into the
excellent habit of looking every few minutes to see
that all is right with your rifle. More than once in my
life I have discovered, with something of a shock,
that my rifle was at full-cock, probably by being
scraped by a branch. Remember that guns will go.
off, in spite of the greatest care. See to it that, when
they do, they shall not be pointed in the direction of
your companions. For the same reason of caution
never, under any provocation or temptation, shoot
unless you can see plainly what you are shooting
at. It is worse to take a snap-shot and wound a deer
without getting it than to miss entirely, and you may
also find that your mark was a man, in which case
go hang yourself at once and rid the world of a
criminal fool. There was a time in Maine not so long
since when I would have worn a red-and-white
striped sweater while hunting deer, or stay at home.
350 The Way of the Woods
The deer-hunting season is in the autumn, the
legal period for killing being in the principal States
in 1907 as follows: Maine, October ist to
December i5th; Vermont, October 2ist
to October 2yth inclusive; New Hampshire, October
ist to December ist; New York (with local excep-
tions), September 1 5th to November ist; Michigan,
November loth to December ist; Minnesota and
Wisconsin, November icth to December ist; Mon-
tana, September ist to December i5th; Quebec,
September ist to January ist; Ontario, November
ist to November i5th; New Brunswick, September
1 5th to December ist.
The legal seasons in other districts, as well as
local exceptions and changes in the game laws, may
be ascertained from Game Laws in Brief, published
periodically by Forest and Stream, New York city
($.25.)
Hunting deer cannot be learned from this or any
other book, and the novice who goes forth for the
Methods of first time into the woods without a corn-
Hunting petent guide is a very foolish man if he
thinks to get a shot at a deer. The following remarks
are therefore only to be considered as containing the
A B C of the art, general maxims upon which to build
success with the aid of experience.
Since hounding (chasing with dogs), crusting (pur-
suing over crusted snow, through which the small
feet of the deer break), and jacking (night-shooting
by means of the dark lantern, or "jack") have long
since rightly become illegal, the only method now
practised in the north country is still-hunting, which
may be distinguished from stalking (the usual Eng-
Deer-Hunting 351
lish word) by the fact that it takes place not in open,
but in forest country, thus being different from the
chase of the British cervidce or of most of our own
in the West. In general the hints on still-hunting the
moose may be followed. Arrived on the ground, ev-
idence of the recent presence of deer is sought in the
shape of fresh tracks and droppings, browsing, rub-
bings on trees, etc., and the game is then approached
across or against the wind. On a still day one might
better stay at home, or when the snow has a noisy
crust. Smoking is bad, in spite of the assurance of
some guides to the contrary, nor should the guide
chew tobacco; for, if I can smell a chew ten
yards, a deer can nose it at ten times that distance,
unless the wind is very strong against the hunter.
All talking and rattling of accoutrements must be
avoided. The breaking of even a large stick may
not actually "jump" a deer, being a natural noise
of the forest, but it will certainly put it on its guard
for a minute; and, should such a thing happen under
the moccasin, it is well to keep perfectly still for at
least that period, for the deer's keen ears will be
turned in your direction, and, should any additional
noise be heard, it will be off at once. The freshness of
the signs will indicate in a general way the nearness
of the game, and of course cautiousness should in-
crease with propinquity. In following tracks go as
swiftly as may be, but not s fast as to make false
steps and allow hurry to dull the senses. A deer's
track is very like those of the hog and sheep. Study
them all, and learn to observe all tracks in the coun-
try, even your own, in order to become expert in the
judgment of their freshness. In trailing, since you
have only the perceptions of yourself or your guide to
352 The Way of the Woods
trust, great care must be taken when the game seems
very near. When you finally catch sight of it shoot
without delay if the shot is a clear one and not too
far. Otherwise try to get nearer. The white man's
tendency is to shoot at very first sight of the quarry,
even if obscured by bushes. Deciding this point
is, of course, one of the most important parts of
deer-hunting, and it depends upon coolness and
judgment. Practically it is a matter of temperament,
but the impulsive man loses the most game. As a
rule aim at some particular part of the animal and
not at the whole body. If the deer is facing or partly
facing you, shoot it through the neck, so that the bul-
let will range back through vital parts or break the
neck. If side-on, strike behind the shoulder, so
that heart or lungs will be pierced. Hit low rather
than high, or the vitals, except the spine, may be
be missed.
Says Van Dyke, "The first thing to do when a
deer is wounded is generally to do nothing." This is
Handling a of course in case another good shot is not
Wounded available, for, as in moose-hunting, the
Deer cardinal rule is to shoot as long as the
quarry is on its legs. But if it starts to run after
being hit do not follow, for, even if very badly hurt,
its fear will keep it running until beyond finding in
case of pursual, while-, if not followed, it is most
likely to lie down shortly and become so stiff, or
lose so much blood, that it is easily found and put
out of its misery after several hours, or, if wounded
at night, then next morning. When you do start
on its trail proceed as if it were perfectly sound,
especially if the trail shows a decreasing flow of blood.
Deer-Hunting 353
A deer's ears are much keener than its eyes, and,
if the huntsmen keep perfectly motionless upon the
appearance of a deer, it will frequently pass slowly
without taking alarm, unless it should get the man's
scent. In shooting at a running deer be careful not
to fire too high, as the deer is then nearer the ground
than when standing; besides, the general tendency
of novices is to overshoot. A favourite ruse of the
old hunter was to take a stand on a runway, or
regular path used by the deer going to water, or at
the drinking-place itself, or again at a "salt-lick,"
a spot upon which salt has been heaped to attract
the deer, which are very fond of it. The sportsman-
ship of these manoeuvres is extremely questionable.
When a deer is down do not be too eager to finish
him with the knife ; be on the safe side and give him
another shot in heart, brain, or spine.
All game should be bled as soon as shot, in order
to make it keep fresh longer. In many cases
the animal will have bled sufficiently Packing
through the wound, but if this, in the Deer
hunter's judgment, has not taken place, make a
thrust with the knife into the breast at its point
and give the knife a couple of turns. A moose is
usually skinned and cut up at once, but, unless very
far from camp, the carcass of a deer is generally
packed thither, either single-handed, balancing the
deer over the shoulders and holding by the feet, or,
better, by two men on a litter, or lashed to a pole, or,
finally, by dragging on a bush. Before starting there
is, however, one imperative duty, that of paunching
the quarry, to avoid early putrefaction and to lighten
the burden. If packed single-handed the best way
23
354 The Way of the Woods
is to tie legs and head together by means of a rope
running through the mouth, lower jaw and the four
gambrels. The loop thus formed fits well over the
shoulders. A litter for two men is quickly made of
two saplings with cross-pieces every two feet or less.
The deer should be securely lashed to it. Fore and
hind legs may be lashed to a pole, carried on the
men's shoulders. A small animal may be tied to the
top of a bush and dragged, head foremost, to camp
over snow or a particularly smooth trail. A pack-
horse would make things easy, but the north woods
knows them not, a few Western districts aside. The
brush is too thick.
In case there is no time to skin and cut up the
carcass before returning to camp, hang it up out of
reach of bears on a pole resting between the limbs
of two trees. In case you are alone and the deer is
heavy, bend down a sapling that takes all your
strength to curve over, and attach the head to the
trimmed-off top by means of a withe, a stout spruce
root, or your hunting-belt. You have previously to
this constructed a tripod of poles forked at the top,
and upon this you now proceed to hang up the
carcass, attaching the loop to the forks. The spring
of the sapling will help raise the deer, and, by raising
first one pole and then the other, a sufficient elevation
can be attained. This is, however, by no means so
easy to do as it reads, and a duffer had best content
himself with burying his quarry under boughs, with
perhaps a tripod of poles or a handkerchief or the
blown-up bladder on a stick over it, to frighten off'
wild marauders.
If hung up unskinned a smudge is dangerous to the
Deer- Hunting 355
hide and practically useless, unless tended constantly.
It is my practice to carry with me three or four yards
of cheesecloth (which has been dipped in
Fly-blows
alum- water at home), and this I wrap
closely round whatever parts of the animal I espe-
cially wish to preserve. If a round of venison is thus
done up, preferably with a needle and thread, it is
safe from fly-blows, which are the bane of hunters.
If unskinned a head may also be kept clean in like
manner. The cheesecloth takes up little more room
than a napkin, and amply repays the small bulge in the
coat-pocket. The usual way to protect skinned
meat is to form as quickly as possible a thin layer
of hard flesh on the outside, by exposing either to the
sun or to a thirk smudge made of green stuff, rotten
wood, etc. The flesh will dry and harden quickly
in the sun, but should be protected from the flies
for the first fifteen minutes or more by the waving
of a branch. The smudge method is better. If a
smudge is left burning by itself great care should be
taken to prevent its bursting into flame and spreading,
by banking it with earth and stones and clearing a
space about it of all inflammable material. In the
thick woods do not risk leaving a smudge to take
care of itself; in many places it is even against the
law.
In cutting up a deer's carcass it will be found most
convenient to hang it up; by the head is best, as it
will drain better, skin and cut better, and Skinning
the head is not so apt to become soiled, and Cutting
But the usual way is to hang up by a stick ^P
thrust through the gambrel joints of the hind-legs. If
not hung up the carcass should be so placed that the
356 The Way of the Woods
head is higher than the tail. In skinning, the rule,
if head and hide are regarded as of any value,
is to make all incisions with the knife as few
and inconspicuous as possible, and they should
therefore be confined to the middle line of the under
surface of the body and the inner side of the limbs.
In case the head is to be mounted alone, as is usual,
the first cut should begin where the neck joins the
back and run in a circle downwards round the neck
to the point of the breast and up on the other side.
Be sure to cut far enough back, as the taxidermists
are badly handicapped by a short neck. The whole
head may now be removed to be skinned later, or
the body may be skinned first. The better plan is
the former, as it makes the carcass lighter, but this
is, of course, only if the animal lies on the ground
or hangs head-down. The hide is turned back and
skinned round the circular incision as closely to the
skull as possible, and the skull is then removed from
the neck by means of the knife and hatchet or axe.
Fold the loose neck-skin together as closely as possi-
ble and cover to prevent fly-blows. The carcass is
then placed on its back (if on the gorund) and a slit
made up the middle of belly and breast and then
continued downwards to the end of the tail, care
being taken not to rupture the paunch, which would
result in nastiness and stench. Lateral incisions
should then be made beginning at the central cut and
extending down each leg to the hoof, which may be
left on if desired, in fact must be if the whole animal
is to be mounted or the skin preserved in a museum.
In such a case, of course, the head must not be severed
from the body, and all the leg-bones must be kept.
The skin and the as yet unskinned head are usually
Deer- Hunting 357
taken to camp, where the head is prepared at leisure.
This is done as follows: Make a cut through the skin
along the cervical vertebrae to a point on a line
between the antlers; then cut across this line to the
antlers on each side and round each antler, keeping
close to the base. (Another method is to stop the top
cut between the ears and then make a cut from there
diagonally to and round each antler, as for moose.
(See Figure 68.) Skin to the ears, which are cut off
close to the skull. "Turn the skin wrong-side-out
over the head and proceed until you come to the eyes.
Now work slowly with the knife, keeping close to the
edge of the bony orbit, until you can see, through a
thin membrane under your knife-edge, the dark por-
tion of the eye. You may now cut fearlessly through
this membrane and expose the eyeball. . . . Skin
down to the edge of the nose, cut through the cartilage
close to the bone, and cut down to where the upper
lip joins the gum. Cut both lips away from the
skull close to the bone all the way around the mouth,
except directly in front of the incisors. ' ' (Smithsonian
instructions, by Wm. T. Hornaday.) The skull should
now be scraped, removing all flesh and soft cartilage,
and the brain taken out through the vertebral open-
ing. The skull and lower jaw may then be dried and
tied together for the taxidermist. In skinning the
body use your fist or hand to stretch the part under
operation, and be sure not to cut through the skin.
Always skin when the body is warm, or the work
will be doubled.
As soon as possible after being taken off the skin
of the head (and body too if to be preserved) should
be thoroughly rubbed with salt (fine is better than
358 The Way of the Woods
coarse) , a quantity of which should be in every hunting
camp for this express purpose. Roll up the skin and let
Preserving it lie over night. Rub in more salt in the
Skins morning and dry out without the aid of sun
or fire. The best way is to hang up high in the shade.
Keep from the wet. All skins to be mounted should
be in the taxidermist's hands as soon as possible.
The National Museum authorities recommend
immersing skins in a solution of salt and alum (pro-
For Muse- portion: to i gallon water, i pint alum
urns and i quart salt) brought to a boil and
cooled to milk- warmth. This is practically impos-
sible in the woods, unless the expedition has been
fitted out for museum purposes, and for ordinary
mounting is unnecessary.
The first thing to do in cutting up the carcass is
to free the body from all the internal organs. Cut free
the diaphragm from both sides and roll
Butchering
out the viscera, aiding with the knife
where necessary. The sternum is then cut through
with the axe and the chest organs pulled out with the
hands, the knife aiding. The pelvis is then divided
with the axe, the four quarters removed, and the
meat is ready for transportation.
The classic authority on deer-hunting is The
Still-hunter, by Theodore S. Van Dyke, which should
Biblio- be the first book bought by the novice,
graphy and which will be found to contain about
all that has been written on the subject before or
since its publication, and has been called by a com-
petent English writer "the best book ever written
by an American." There is no end to the other books
Deer- Hunting 359
on deer-hunting, but the reader may begin additions
to his library with The Deer Family, by T. Roosevelt,
T. S. Van Dyke, and others. An excellent descriptive
article on deer is that by E. Thompson Seton in
Scribner's Magazine for September, 1906.
MEASURING RULES
For large animal, measure:
Height at shoulder, from middle (not point) of
hoof, holding leg as if it were supporting
body, to top of shoulder (skin, not hair) in
a straight line.
Length of Head and Body from root of tail to end
of nose; tail from base to end of vertebrae.
Girth directly behind forelegs.
Depth of Body, from top of shoulders in a straight
(not curved) line to lowest point of breast directly
behind forelegs.
Circumference of neck half way between ears and
shoulders, close to skin.
Length on Outer Curve, starting tape at base of
horn (lowest point) and following curves Antlers
to the tip.
Greatest spread from outside to outside where the
antlers spread widest.
Distance between two tips farthest apart.
Circumference at base of antler round largest
diameter.
Width of Palmation at widest part. A point must
be long enough to hang something on.
Weight must be stated as either with entire skull
or only skull-piece.
(The above rules are paraphrased from Hornaday's
American Natural History.)
CHAPTER XVI
CARIBOU-HUNTING
THIS American cousin of the north-European
reindeer has a range extending from Maine and New-
foundland northward to Hudson Bay and then
generally north-westward to the Pacific, where it is
found from British Columbia northward into Alaska.
There are two general varieties, the Woodland
(Rangifer caribou) and the Barren-Ground or Artie
(Rangifer arcticus), these names describing their
habitats; both are divided into several subspecies
about which the experts are yet quarrelling. The
woodland animal is somewhat heavier, weighing
from 250 to 400 pounds. Its fine large antlers are
shorter in the main beam than those of the barren-
ground species, but are more palmated, and, as Mr.
Hornaday remarks, have "a treetop appearance,"
those of the barren-ground caribou being slimmer
and having an " arm-chair appearance." The wood-
land kind is warier than the other, but both are
dull beasts compared with moose or deer. The New-
foundland species (R. terraenovae) is much lighter in
colour than the continental woodland caribou. A
good- sized caribou stands about four feet high at the
shoulders. The general colour is dark grey with
white under-parts, changing to whitish in winter;
some of the Western varieties have blackish heads.
360
Caribou- Hunting 361
The hoofs are very large and loosely jointed, so that
they spread and form veritable snowshoes, enabling
the caribou to travel easily in snow that would render
other deer quite helpless. These hoofs clack as the
animal moves about. The caribou mates in the
early autumn, at which season it is lawful to kill it
a very unwise privilege, which should be legally
withdrawn, as in the case of all other Cervidce.
Incredible tales are told of the tameness of caribou,
and, after reading many of the stories of Selous and
other experienced caribou-hunters, those of Methods of
us who have done little or none of it wonder Hunting
what pleasure a sportsman can take in such a chase.
As Mr. Elliot, in The Deer Family, aptly says, after
describing the positions taken up in still-hunting,
11 pursuit (if it can be so called) of this deer at such
times and in such places cannot be considered either
a pleasure or within the true meaning of sportsman-
ship. If the caribou should wander that way,
a point-blank shot at a few paces is af-
forded, requiring about as much skill to bring down
the quarry as it would to shoot a cow in a barnyard. "
Mr. Selous gives instances of caribou passing within
a few feet of him and looking straight at him .without
taking alarm. One legal but disgraceful manner of
hunting them in Newfoundland is to take advantage
of their annual migration from the northern to the