Still-Hunter

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1882. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXXIV. MOCCASINS, BUCKSKIN, ETC. ADVICE. CONCLUSION. There is a large amount of useful lore about woodcraft, camping, fitting out, etc. etc. etc., which must necessarily be omitted from such a work as this, especially as it can be found elsewhere. I therefore confine myself entirely to such few points as are either not considered in other works that I have seen or else are so generally treated as to be of little use. White clothes are of little use for hunting wild deer except upon open ground with snow, and even then the face and rifle should be concealed as much as possible. In timber your motion across tree-trunks is caught by the deer's eye so quickly that you can relax no caution even with the whitest outfit you can get. Gray or brown, according to- the color of your general background, is better for general use. Clothes should not be stiff or harsh so as to make a noise against brush, and the coat should have no skirts or tail. Jackets made by cutting off the lower six inches of woolen shirts, slitting up the front and adding two or three buttons, are very good things to wear. Two or three may be put on for cold weather and fastened at the bottom with the cartridge-belt. An extra one may be tucked into the belt behind. A linen jacket over two or three of these will shed rain about as long as anything and stop considerable wind. For durability buckskin is as important as it is to the hero of a sporting romance. It is also very good for dry cold weather. For warm or wet weather it is a nuisance. Still it is soft against brush, and pants will be much better if faced in front with it to half way above the knee, and two thirds the way around on each side. For this purpose it should always be well smoked so as to dry soft when wet. The simpler and lighter yo...