The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-09-03
DEFENSIVE TACTICS OF a DEER.

DEFENSIVE TACTICS OF A DEER.
How n Deer Pursued by Dogs Eff
fected Its Escape.
''The wonderful instinct which
prompts a deer chased by dogs to
bring to it's defense tactics by which
it's pursuers may be thrown off the
scent is we'll known to all woodsmen,
said Mr.. S. Il. FOrdham of this city;
but it has rarely happened that any
of them has been favored with Il sight
of n deer and it's movements while 1t
was thus manoeuvri IL to escape from
the hard-pressing sayagery of the pur-
suing hounds. | saw a deer one day
demonstrate the possession of this
wonderful instinct. The sight was
beautiful beyond description.
1T was in the Saranac region. near
Harricttown. Damming the outlet OF
Saranac lake had flooded the country
bordering the stream to such an eX-
tent that the stream itself had become
a lake. 1t was in some places early
q mile wide. Dead trees stood thickly
in this expanse of w~atcr-trees killed
by the flooding. In one of these trees,
near the western border, a platform
had been built for the use of hunters.
who, from this perch, watched the
coming of deer into the water. thai
they might be an easier and more GER
tain mark. This tree was also Il want
age point on a runway for
deer. as they We're apt to pass mat
way to escape their pursuers. so the
guide put me up in that tree. on this
days hunt, to wait for the possible
driving that way of deer.
al Ill --,~ ~,~ ole ~ nJ1y ne
so when ] heard the dogs, away off
among the hills on the eastern border
of the outlet. They We're bringing a
deer to the water. or. rather. n deer
| was fleeing to water in hope of escap-
ing them. Hounds and quarry were
| coming fast, for the " music of
the dogs grew louder and clearer with
every peat of my heart. and my heart
was beating rapidly. Presently, out
Of the woods, with tremendous leaps,
bounded a magnificent buck. There
was nearly a mile of distance between
us, but through the pure atmosphere
of that rare autumn day every move
ment of the deer was as plain as II he
| had not beer a hundred yards away.
With a few leaps he cleared the space
I between the hill and the water. Paus'
irg oh the edge of the outlet for an in
slant. as if gathering himself for a
mighty effort. he shot through the air
and struck the water at least twenty
five feet from shore. The water
splashed up on every side of him,
and for q moment hid him again with
sparkling spray. When l saw him
again he was making all the speed he
could. not swimming toward me, as |
supposed he would. to become my
trophy, if my highly-strung nerves did
not send my shot amiSs. but straight
up the outlet parallel with the shore
His forefeet and legs threw the water
in the air in front of him like the
prov of a BOAT sailing swiftly, and il
fell in showers over his glossy back
proudly, as if he knew he was gaining
p victory over his hard-pressing foes
He splashed along through the water
for perhaps a hundred yards. Their
he turned and waded quickly back tf
the shore. Once more on the land. h'
was away like the wind. and o o dis
appeared within the safe cover of The
forest.
"All this time I could hear the dogs
in full cry off on the hill, but the bucl
had been out of sight a minute o.
more before they burst out of the
woods on the trail and l saw then
rush along with their keen noses t.
the ground, following it to the spor
where the buck had gathered himself
for his great leap into the water
Then they showed plainly their dis
comtiture. Up and down the Quite
they raj eXcitedly. their noses on TIT
ground and then high in the air. seek
ing traces of the lost scent. Then the.
began running around in circles, witt
the spot where the deer's last tract
was in the center. The circles gradu
ally widened. My sympathies nov
were all with the deer. whose wonder
full play of strategy | had witnessed
l feared that the circle. widening will
every one, would at last extend so ia
that the dogs would strike the ira
where it began with the bucks return
to the shore, and I watched the ma
noeuvring of the hounds with painfu
suspense. The circles grew wider an
wider. Two or three more would hav
brought the dogs once more on til
trail. | could hardly contain myself
perched there above the water, wit.
the fear that possessed me that TIL
hounds would regain the trail. Whe
the dogs We're within one circle o
finding the lost scent, tehy gave up tn
search. and went yelping in disal
pointment back to til old trail and dis
appeared. | was sc glad that | coul
have given three cheers. l don't know
but | did."-New York Evening Sun.
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