| It is very important to share the knowledge that the | | | | deer before that time. The other men would cover |
| hunters have when they go for deer hunting, to | | | | the east and south crossings in case I was wrong. |
| make them aware of the things you need to take | | | | Two hours later I shot a spike-horn buck as it tried |
| care when hunting. In this article you will learn how | | | | to follow a doe across the road into the larger piece |
| important it is to share the knowledge among the | | | | of woods. The doe reached safety before I could |
| hunters in group hunting. | | | | shoot. I will admit that there was a lot of guesswork |
| My failure to share my intimate knowledge of these | | | | in my deciding the probable course of these deer, |
| deer resulted in the failure of any of us to obtain a | | | | but I was positive I was right. I stayed at my post |
| shot. There is the possibility that I was wrong in my | | | | and killed the deer, while the others who had |
| deductions and that the presence of my companions | | | | covered the other crossings had gone home long |
| prevented the deer from proceeding on the | | | | before my shot. |
| northeast course. | | | | I was hunting with three companions when we came |
| Another time, a similar pair of deer was seen in a | | | | to the track of a doe where it crossed a road and |
| field near a road and I was asked to help hunt them. | | | | entered a large piece of woods. Deer were scarce |
| There was no snow on he ground so the actual | | | | that year or we would not have bothered with that |
| tracking was out of the question. They had entered | | | | one, for the piece of woods, which it had entered, |
| a fairly narrow piece of woods and I thought that if | | | | was a very difficult place to hunt. There was a good |
| a man zigzagged along and did not hurry, the deer | | | | tracking snow, so the deer could be followed; |
| might be nudged along much the same as if trailed. I | | | | nevertheless, the woods were such that it would be |
| had no knowledge of these deer and the only facts | | | | nearly impossible to predict where the deer would |
| that I could use to predict their course were that | | | | stop to observe its back trail. The under-brush was |
| they had not crossed the road and that they had | | | | also so thick that it would be difficult to obtain a clear |
| apparently arrived from the north. The woods which | | | | shot anywhere except at a few small clearings which |
| they had entered extended to the east for about | | | | the deer would probably avoid. Because of the size |
| three-quarters of a mile, made a right angle turn | | | | and shape of the woods, it would be impossible to |
| around a pond, and then extended north for about | | | | drive the deer from there without the aid of a small |
| the same distance to a road which separated these | | | | army of hunters. I predicted that the deer would |
| woods from a much larger wooded area to the | | | | stay in the woods until near sunset unless it followed |
| north. | | | | its back trail as soon as it was started. I picked the |
| There were two family groups of deer in the area to | | | | place where the deer would cross a road if it should |
| the south and one to the east, and I was uncertain | | | | decide to leave the woods. I refused to follow the |
| of the number to the north. These deer could belong | | | | track until I had the assurance of the one hunter in |
| in any of these areas, but as they had apparently | | | | whom I had confidence that he would cover that |
| arrived from the north, I decided that they would | | | | crossing from sunset to dark. |
| return to the north. None of the others would agree | | | | Your calculations on the shooting might not work at |
| with my deductions, yet one of the men agreed to | | | | times and you have to make some predictions. |
| travel through the woods to a point where I would | | | | These things also can happen even with an |
| be waiting unless he or one of the others shot the | | | | experienced hunter. |