Morning journal and courier., 1891-05-26
Characteristics of the Deer.


 To discover the approach of danger, deer depend on their sense of smell. A single hunter, if skiliful, when there are two paths or runways, will walk into the forest on one of them, then take his stand near the other in order to shoot the deer before his hound One day I saw a band of five thoroughly frightened deer strike the track where hunter had passed but short time before. They all stopped when they reached the track as suddenly as if their necks were just then broken. After sniffing the air a few seconds they all set off again, but in an opposite direction to that taken by the hunter.
 One Sunday morning found me in lumber camp on the Rabit river in Michi- gan, where I must stay all day. After breakfast strol1ed up one of the log roads and saw where five deer had crossed on their way to some hardwood bottom land bordering the river. I followed on their trail, intending to find them and spend an hour or two in their company. l found them scattered out over an acre of ground but all in sight and browsing. The one nearest me. and in no cover, soon saw me.
  sitting down on the snow and covered my face with my hand. He looked at me | sharp and often, but continued to browse. When they were busy feeding I managed | to approach. The wind blew from them toward me. Sometimes I whistled as if l calling dog. They all looked at me, but | my face was covered and l sitting on the snow. After awhile the deer furthest to my right had got nearly in my rear, when he gave big snort and ran with apparent alarm. The others, startled by his warn. ing snort, ran also, but only few rods. | After a quarter of an hour of standing motionless they slowly made their way back and began again to browse. I con tinued to approach as l had chance | while they were busy eating, until l had got within few rods of one of them Just then he stepped behind big pint and stepped forward briskly and made { jump for his hind leg. missed it by ar inch. The deer was too much frightened to jump more than length at one spring until it had got off some rods, and ther made what might be called fast time. Tn. | others ran at the same time, and saw my | friends no more.
 From the experience of a tolerably lonl lifetime in the woods, am satisfied tha the Virginia deer was intended by nature to run before a deerhound. He is no afraid of the hound, and has no reason tc be. But wolves. cur dogs and cross-breedi are his terror. I have seen 8 deer pass mt in the woods, bleating most piteously al every jump. A black cur dog was only { few yards behind. I have seen deer run ming before a staghound and loping along as happily ss a fox in the same situation stopping at the top of every considerable hill and waiting for the hound to come up When tired the deer will go to water, or il buck may stop and beat off the hound I have seen buck beat four as good hounds as ever were in the United States
 The deer after days run goes back at night to the bed he was started from IT the morning; and I have started the eame buck with my hound from the same bed several times And the testimony of my friends is to the same fact.
 II Often hound gets beaten by particu lar buck, and will not, after that, follow i rod. In case of inst sort ! got fas