The Hart and he love not one another.

 

Of the Hunting of the Buck.

Although mine author was a Frenchman, and in France the hunting of the Buck is nothing so common as the hunting of the Hart is, yet somewhat he has written thereof, the which - together with some experience of mine own - I have thought good here to place next unto the hunting of the Hart.

It is needless to write what difference of hair, head and other proportions there are between the Hart and the Buck, since both kinds of Venery are common enough in this our noble country. The Buck is fawned in the end of May, and has all properties common with a Hart, but the Hart goes sooner to the rut, and is sooner in grease; for when a Hart has been xiiij days at rut, then the Buck but scarcely begins. There is not so much skill to be used in lodging of a Buck as in harbouring a Hart, nor needs to use so much drawing after him; but only to judge by the view and mark what grove or covert he goes into, for he will not wander nor royal so far about as a Hart, nor change lair so often. And yet we use here in England to lodge the Buck as we use to harbour the Hart, for the Buck is commoner with us than the Hart. 

He makes his fumishings in sundry manners and forms as the Hart, according to the season of the feed that he finds, but most commonly they are round. When they are hunted, they fly into such strong coverts as they have been  most accustomed unto, and never flee so far before the hounds, nor double, cross nor use such and so many subtle policies as a Hart does, for he turns back upon the hounds oftentimes, and eschews the highways as much as he may, especially in the open plains. He is sometimes killed at soil as a Hart does, and will beat a brook or river, but not so craftly, nor can so long endure therein, nor dare take such great rivers and waters as the Hart will; he leaps lightlier at the rut than a Hart, and groans as a Hart bellows, but with a baser voyce rattling in the throat.

The Hart and he love not one another, but the one of them eschews the others lair. 

They are sweeter of scent unto the hounds than the Hart or the Roe Deer, and yet some think the Roe is the sweetest chase that is, but at least their flesh is more delicate, and therefore if a hound have once fed thereon, he will love it above all other chases. 

The venison of a Buck is very dainty, good meat, and is to be dressed - in manner - like to the venison of a Hart; but the Hart's flesh will be longer preserved.

The Buck will herd more than the Hart, and lies in the dryest places; but if he be at large out of a park, he will herd but little from the month of May until the end of August, or very near, because the fly troubles him. They love the hilly places well, but they must have dales and bottoms to feed in. 

We hunt the Buck even as we hunt the Hart, saving it is not needful to lay so many relays, nor to lay out so far, because he flees not so far out, but wheels and keeps the covert as is before declared. 

The greatest subtlety a Huntsman has need to beware of in hunting the Buck is to keep his hounds from hunting counter or change, because we have plenty of Fallow Deer, and they come oftener directly back upon the hounds than a Red Deer does.

The breaking up and reward are all one with the breaking up and reward of a Hart.

Of the Hunting of a Roe. 

The Roe is a beast well known and easy to hunt, and yet few Huntsmen know his nature. 

He goes to rut in October, and remains therein fifteen days; he never companies but with one mate, and they never part until the Roe-Doe has fawned. Then, the Doe parts from the Buck and fawns as far from him as she can, for if he find it, he will kill the fawn; but when the fawn is great, he can run and feed, the Doe returns to the Buck and accompanies him again lovingly. Yea, and they will make as much haste to return together as may be, the cause whereof is that a Roe-Doe most commonly fawn two at once, and they be commonly also Buck and Doe, so being accustomed together in youth, they love to keep company ever after. 

Some Roe-Doe has been killed with five fawns in her body at once, which is a strange thing in so small a beast. Here I thought good to note unto you a fawn of a Roe is called the first year a kid, the second a gyrle, the third a hemuse, the fouth a Roe Buck of the First Head, and the fifth year a Roe Buck and no more. 

As soon as a Roe Buck comes from rut, he casts his horns, and few of them after they be past two years old fail to mew at All Hallowtide. Their heads grow out again very quickly, for they fray them commonly in March.

You may hunt him at all times alike, for his venison is never fat, nor never out of season.

They hide their heads in moss when they have cast and mewed them.

All the favour that should be showed unto the Roe Deer is unto the Does when they are with fawn, and until their fawns be able to live without them. They make marvellous good chase and stand up long, and flee far endways, and their flesh is good meat. You shall hardly know them either by their foot or fumettes. 

They see not very perfectly, nor bear any great venison; that is to say, they be not very fat, unless it be inwards. Their kidneys will sometimes be hid with fat, and then are they in great pride of grease. 

When they are hunted, they turn much and come often directly back upon the dogs, and when they may no mor endure, they flee to the water, and beat the water like a Hart wherein they will hang by some bough all under the water but their very snout, and will never stir until a man or a hound come even upon them. He keeps in the strong thickets, and commonly in the highest grounds, sometimes also in the plains, but very seldom.

The rut of a Roe Deer is properly - among Hunters - called his turn, as to say the Roe goes in his turn; his crossings and doublings before the hounds are called trasonings.

He is not called a great Roe Buck, but a fair Roe Buck; the herd of them is called a bevy; if he have bevy grease upon his tail when you break him up, then is he venison, otherwise he is meeter for to be given whole to the hounds than to be dressed for your dish. The hounds must be rewarded the bowels, the blood and the feet slit in sunder and boiled altogether; it is not called a reward but a dole.

Of all other things necessary to be understood for the hunting of a Roe Deer, I have sufficiently spoken in the hunting of a Hart, and the hunting of a Buck.

Of the Reindeer. 

The Reindeer is a beast like unto a Hart, but great diversity in their heards, for a Reindeer's head is fuller of antlers and much bigger and wider in compass. He bears four-and-twenty branches or more, according to his age; he has a great palm on the top like a Hart, and his antlers before are palmed also.

He flies endways when he is hunted by reason of the great weight of his head, but when he has stood up a great while and has crossed, doubled and used all his policies; then, he sets his back and haunches against some tree that holds his head low to the ground, and then few dare come near him, and his head covers all his body. If any man come in to help the hounds behind him, where a Hart will strike with his antler, he strikes with his feet, but not so great a blow; he will be sure never to turn his head, for that is his chief defence. 

He is terrible to see both for Hound and Greyhound, by reason of his great huge head; he is not much higher than a Buck, but he is greater and thicker. When he raises up his head, it is much wider and broader than his body is. 

He feeds like a Hart, and makes his fumettes, sometimes round and sometimes flat. He lives very long, and is killed with hounds, bows, nets and other such engines. 

He bears fatter venison when he is in pride of grease than any other Deer does. He goes to rut after the Hart like a Fallow Deer, and fawns like as other Deer fawn.

He is seldom hunted at force, nor with hounds, but only drawn after with a Bloodhound and forestalled with nets and engines, and in the thicket and greatest holds if you can, for so shall you soonest overcome him by reason of his great head which combers him.

I will treat no more of him, because I do not remember I ever heard of any in this our Realm of England; it maybe there be some in Ireland. Therefore, I thought not amiss thus to place him among the beasts of Venery, although he be not here in use.