Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-09
A WILD TURKEY HUNT.
Bagging the Shrewdest and Most VIII
Ian Game In America.

Bagging the Shrewdest and Most V!E-
lant Game in America.
Correspondence Nashville Bar ner.
One of the pleasurers I most n
joyed In my younger days was a wild.
turkey hunt of a bright marnipg in
early spring time. Tns wild turkey
Ia the shrewdsst and hardest to ap.
proach of all the wild game of the
American forests. With the keenest
sense of sight and hearing, and natur.
ally shy, the hunter Is fortunate who
succeeds In eluding the vigilance or
circumventing the intelligence of an
old gobbler who has ever been de-
csived or shot at. But the game Is
worth the trouble, and ths sportsman
who bags a ~four-year old bird feels a
sense of triumph that we'll repsys him
for his pains. There is no game bird
on the American continent that com.
pares In size, and majesty of appear.
ance, or In gorgeous plumage, to the
wild-turkey cock In the spring Ct the
year. He Is then In full feather, and
the gorgeous tints of hia plumage,
changing with every motion, bshes
the aklil of the painter. He Is then
swelling with pride, and his e1ultant
emotions find expression in o display
of strutting vanity scarcely less IN
posing than that of the full7Stumed
peacock.
1t Is the habit, In early spring time
to gobble from their Goosts at the
break Of day, and theiH clarion notel
of a still, clear morning can be heard
far and wide, resou9Aing through tn,
forests. This morfing salutation hal
guided many . huNter to his game anc
coat many a noble bird his life. N,
true sportsman ever heard the gobbl,
OF an old Wild turkey cock of a clea,
spring morning, as from his roostirl
place high uR among the branches o
some lonely monarch of the forest, hi
gave u~tteran|Ice to his swelling pride
That the bloSd did not tingle in ever,
vein. No music of band or orchestrl
ever stirref by blood like this.
received notice that the sprin,
gobbliIg bf wild turkeys had com
menoed, find an invitation to come TO
q hunt. I accepted the invitation
The weather Vas propitious. Tn
spring Morning was bslmy and beauti
ful' The dogwoods were beginpingt
bioCmL, and the buds of the forest tree
wee Swelling Into leaf. The frs
morning, arising an hour before day
we We're fl to the hsunts of the game
whete, soon after our arrival, we wer
reW@rded by hearing two noble oil
birds. succeeding In calling one c
ing two from his perch In the top Of
loiky oak, but, contrary to my expec
totpons, he flew past me before allght
in1, and l made a bad shot at him o
thIe wing and missed | made tn
mistake, in tho excitement OF the mo
mtLt, of shooting before the Dir
rekched me, Instead Of waiting unit
nd was opposite or had passed.
THE next morning out l was moi
successful, and brought In a beautifl
oifd. Ny friends mad been telling n
a great deal Of the wonderful INTEL
gepce OLA noted old gobler that hs
lYed for several years In a fore
r X1ovn as the ''pine swamp" Ma
, attempts had been made to kill hin
o1t without success. He had bes
h9nted until lie had learned the OF
: OF the hunters, and when he heal
i QUE calling, instead Of answering |
+ made quick TIM In an opposite di. o.
y tl1n, Mi. p, and excellent hunt
q aud very successful turkey caller, h,