| The next time when you are preparing for deer | | | | faculties, must have a thorough knowledge of |
| hunting, better make yourself aware of the | | | | that animal to be successful. I am not in |
| applicable laws of different states and not | | | | favor of bow-and-arrow hunting for everyone, |
| only of the deer. Get yourself prepared | | | | for, although the hunting arrow is deadly in |
| before you steps in the forest to hunt the | | | | the hands of an expert, the average hunter is |
| deer. At the same time I try to make myself | | | | too unfamiliar with the weapon to make clean |
| secure with better weapons than those old | | | | kills-a necessary part of good sportsmanship. |
| fashioned bows and arrows. | | | | |
| | | | Quite a few men, with more patience than I |
| Many successful hunters never acquire this | | | | possess, bag their deer by continually |
| knowledge, depending solely on luck in their | | | | watching some popular game trail, or |
| hunting. In a territory where deer are | | | | crossing, until a deer comes along. There is |
| plentiful, this results in their bagging a | | | | one man whom I have often met at the same |
| deer with fair regularity, yet the actual | | | | place in the woods where a deer trail crosses |
| shooting of a deer is only a small part of | | | | a small stream. I think that he is there |
| the enjoyment that a sportsman finds on a | | | | every morning during the season, from |
| hunt. When a man goes into the woods, meets a | | | | daybreak to midmorning, until he shoots his |
| deer in its own element, outwits the animal | | | | deer. I would estimate that he has killed ten |
| and succeeds in killing it with a well-placed | | | | or twelve deer at that crossing. One year |
| shot, his satisfaction will be much greater | | | | there were very few deer in that immediate |
| than in the mere killing of a deer that he | | | | area. As far as I knew, there was only one |
| has accidentally encountered. To be sure, he | | | | doe that had raised her twin fawns within two |
| can return home and embellish his story, | | | | miles of that spot. There were plenty of deer |
| belying the fact that it was more or less an | | | | in the surrounding country, but for some |
| accident that he bagged the animal. He has | | | | reason, they seemed to shun that particular |
| the deer for proof of his tale, but until he | | | | area. One day I mentioned the scarcity of |
| comes to believe the story himself, there | | | | deer to him, suggesting that some other |
| will always be a slight feeling of | | | | crossing might be more productive that year. |
| dissatisfaction about that particular hunt. | | | | He merely said, "I've done pretty well here |
| | | | in the past and I reckon that I will give it |
| A very successful hunter once told me that | | | | a few more days before making a change." The |
| deer hunting was ninety per cent luck and ten | | | | next day I met him on the road and he had a |
| per cent good marksmanship. He had hunted for | | | | nice buck on his car. I had forgotten that |
| a good many years and should have known what | | | | his crossing was one that was favored by |
| he was talking about. "All that a man needs | | | | bucks traveling across country from one herd |
| to do to shoot a deer," he said, "is to be in | | | | to another, in search of does. |
| the right place at the right time and to be | | | | |
| able to hit any deer that he sees." | | | | Although this crossing watching requires more |
| | | | patience than the average hunter possesses, |
| This man believed it was luck that placed him | | | | it usually pays off with a deer. Quite a bit |
| at the right place at the right time, but I | | | | of knowledge of the country and of the |
| am sure that the knowledge that he had | | | | movement of deer is necessary, yet patience |
| unconsciously acquired about the habits of | | | | is the most important qualification that a |
| the deer in the territory where he hunted had | | | | man must have in order to be consistently |
| a lot to do in enabling him to shoot most of | | | | successful in this type of hunting. |
| his deer. While luck certainly plays an | | | | |
| important part in deer hunting, the man who | | | | There are fair laws for both the hunters and |
| depends entirely on it is very apt to be | | | | the animals. So always be on the safer side |
| disappointed at the end of the hunt. The need | | | | of the law to avoid any unnecessary trouble |
| for hunting knowledge varies with the method | | | | that you might face otherwise. Some time you |
| used while hunting. It requires little | | | | need more patience to continually watch the |
| knowledge to shoot a deer in the nighttime | | | | movements of the deer, which I don't possess. |
| with the aid of a light. | | | | People like the one I met in the forest even |
| | | | after hearing about the scarcity of deer |
| This is nothing but butchery of a bewildered | | | | still sits on the same spot waiting for the |
| defenseless animal. On the other hand, the | | | | deer. And for this you need a fair knowledge |
| man who enters the woods armed with a bow and | | | | of the country and the movement of deer can |
| a few arrows, which attempt to outwit an | | | | be of good use during the hunting. |
| animal in full possession of all its | | | | |