Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1874-07-09

afford any true sport. The birds are
baited on their range, usually with the
red "cow.pea," a peculiarly Southern
institution" of which all game-birds are
passi,nately fond. A blind is built after
the turkeys have become used to the spot.
and q short trench is scooped out so as
give a raking shot. Late in the evening
this trench is filed with peas. a few being
scattered around asa ground>bait, and at
early dawn the hunter is snugly ensconced
with his gun covering the trench. Soon
the birds are heard gobbling and ~yelping;
then their pattering and scratching is
heard among the dried leaves, and they
are seen running here and there, gceedily
picking up the scattered grain. Presently
the trench is found and they gather around
it pell>mell, jostling each other like barn.
door fowls, and stretching their necks in
to the narrow ditch. A low whistle
%startles them, and as they raise their
heads together in q cluster, bang! goes
the old musket, and a charge Of heavy
duck,sbot s~catters death among the flock.
| have known nine to be killed thus at
one discharge, all struck in the head and
neck. Turkeys killed in this way are
best for the table, as their bodies are not
torn by the shot. The best sport is OBJ
tanned, however, by "roosting" them, al
though it involves considerable fatigue
and requires consummate skill. You
must ride some miles in the late after.
noon when there Is to be a good moon,
and search the knobs until you find where
the turkeys have been scratching. Then
take your seat at the foot of some large
tree, and wait for an hour at least, keep
ing perfectly still. There will be plenty
to amuSe you, especially if the frost has
MT yet killed off the mosquitoes. The
squirrels will creep up within a few feet
OF you, then make q dash at your tree,
scrambling up and showering bark-chips
on your head. Woodcock will come
whistling out of the canes, and alighting
near you, proceed to turn over the dead
leaves andprobe the rich earth for worms.
Ifyou move your hand, the bird settles
into a little brown ball, with his long bill
pressed against his breast watching you
with his great liquid eyes: should you
glance off for an instant, you will never
see him again, for he runs off silently in
a zigzag course, and squats again among
the leaves, which are 50 exactly the color
of his plumOge that you may look at him
for five minutes without knowing it.
Keep your eyes and ears open, for an old
buck may walk right up to you and break
up your turkey-hunt by affording a steaky
shot at nOblcr game. Presently the silence
becomes oppressive, broken only by the
chirp of the squirrels and tho occasional
distant quack quack Of the mallard and
black duck from some neighboring creek.
Then the barred owls begin their weird
conversations, hooting and laughing to
each other from every quarter, and walk
ing a thousand gobbling echoes until the
old woods ring again, The effect, when
heard Sor the first time alone among the
frightening shadows, is enough to set your
hair on end. But you hear a loud and
heavy tapping as of powerful wings, then
a short "keow keow COW! p and another
turkey flies up to his perch then a long,
rolling gobble which you can never mis-
take for that of a tame bird. You rise
instantly, and cautiously move toward
the sound, which may be a quarter of 0
mile away. All you want now is to mark
the tree on which they are roosting, fol
were you to approach it you would not gel
within two hundred yards of the birds
Carefully noting the spot, you get home
as soon as you can and prepare for your
daylight expedition. You must be on the
ground again before the first streak o
dawn, and lucky will you be if you car
get right under the roost, for then 70,
may load and fire several times before tn,
turkeys seem to realize their danger
getting a choice bird at every shot. Blu
in all likelihood the tree stands annie
mud and briers which forbid a near ap
proach. Then you must cautiously max
your way around in the direction from
which you saw the turkeys come, as the,
will probably return for several days t
the SAINT feeding.grounds. You will GER
tainly not get more than two how, and i
will take all you know to do that. You
must not move a muscle or make a sound
except to use your call and one yelp to-
much or too little, too long or too shor
will spoil everything. TIE gcbblers ar,