Natural History of Deer Hunting

The more knowledgeable a man is about the subjectand, after a few years' experience, a proficient guide.
of deer hunting the more are his chances ofThose who live in cities far removed from the deer
succeeding. But deer hunting is not a science andrange do not have the opportunity to study deer at
there are always uncertainty corner left to befirst hand. They must depend on others for hunting
explored in hunting deer. If it is reduced to an exactknowledge, which may be checked and confirmed by
science much of the pleasure of this sport would beoccasional short hunting trips to deer ranges.
lost.As a boy, I lived in a farming section where there
There were fewer deer during my childhood days,were very few deer. Most of the men who were
when hunters have to look for other places to hunt.interested in deer hunting made annual trips to the
When I was old enough to go to hunt I becamenorth woods for their sport. When I was old enough
interested in hunting and would go to hunt wheneverto become interested in hunting, the deer invasion of
time permits. I would be called whenever thethe farming country had started and there were
neighbors spots deer. This frequent spotting of deerenough deer in my "neck of the woods" so that I
also helped me to study their behaviors. Thewas able to spend quite a bit of time hunting them
knowledge that I gathered from the neighbors andand studying their habits. Neighbors knowing I was
from my own experience have helped me in myinterested would report to me when and where they
hunts and giving people basic information about deersaw deer. I did not confine such activity to the deer
hunting.season, but went into the woods whenever I had
In deer hunting, as in any other line of endeavor, thetime, for I felt that the more I could find out about
more knowledge a man has of the subject, the moretheir movements and habits, the more success I
successful he will be; if deer hunting could be reducedwould have in predicting their actions during the open
to an exact science, much of the pleasure of thisseason.
sport would be lost. Luckily, this hunting will neverThis personal observation plus the information
reach that stage, for we are dealing with livingfurnished by neighbors soon gave me quite an
animals that have individual characteristics that do notaccurate picture of the range and actions of the few
always conform to those of the herd as a whole.deer that frequented the country within a few miles
No matter how much knowledge we have of theof my home. The fact that there were few deer
actions of deer, there will always be the element ofwas a help in my study as I was able to check each
chance which makes the chase an uncertainty up toindividually. I am sure that some of the things which I
the point where the animal is bagged. This pitting oflearned in those days could not be learned in the
the hunter's knowledge of deer habits against thesame section today because of the abundance of
uncertain actions of a deer is one of the things thatdeer in that area. Later I was able to study deer
make the sport so enjoyable. Even if the deer is ablecollectively and as a result, I became a fairly
to escape and the hunt is counted as a failure, thereproficient hunter. Not because I could kill my share of
is always the pleasure of studying the result to finddeer, but because I was able to predict with fair
out how and why the deer escaped, thus adding tocertainty what a deer would do in a given situation.
the hunter's fund of deer knowledge. To many of us,To be a successful deer hunter learn as much as you
this learning about deer is one of the mostcan and from experienced sources. This will help you
satisfactory parts of hunting.to equip yourself when you are ready to go to hunt
Any person who is fortunate enough to reside in adeer. And even if you fail to hunt the first time, it will
deer hunting section and who is interested enough toalways teach you new things why you failed. The
spend the time and effort, should be able to learnknowledge of deer hunting especially for people living
enough about deer to become a successful hunter,in the cities is a must before stepping into the forest.