The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-04-20
A HUNTERS PARADISE.

D.J. Chadwick, the Los Angeles at
torney, and a party of other prominent
gentlemen were at the Grand, telling
hunting stories, says the San Francisco
Examiner. One of them told how nu-
merOus the wild turkeys were on the
Pecos river, and that he had Killed as
many as forty turkeys in two days
search.
81 want to tell you Of a strange ex-
perience | had with wild turkeys AT
the head of the Verde river in the
White mountains of Arizona" said
Mr.. Chadwick. zone day in 1885,
while was a special agent of the land
department at Washington, ! was rid
ing on horseback alone on the Verde.
1t was approaching nightfall, and l
was pushing on to reach Joe King
mans ranch, which is high up on the
river. entered scattered grove OF
pine trees. when, happening to look mp
saw what appeared to me to be fhous-
snds of wild turheys. The trees were
black with them, and many OF the
limbs were bent down. There was a
Tapping of wings and clncking while
the turkeys were adjusted.
at was the prettiest sight ever saw
great magnificent birds. l could
have taken a stick and Knocked OFF all
| wanted to. | didn't, though, but
| whipped out my revolver and killed
a couple of them and rode up to Old
Joe's with them. May be those tur-
KEYS were not fine eating for the next
day or two.
"In many places in Yavapai and
Graham counties in those days the tnr'
keys were so plentiful that nobody
knew what to do with them. They
used to 20 in bands of two or three
hundred, and thus traverse wide re.
gion. October is the time for migrat'
ing. They are then leaving the Brazos
| and Pecos river regions in Texas and
| pushing forward to the more congen.
| ial climate of Arizona. They walk al
most altogether, rarely flying unless to
cross a river or get on q tree, and they
move along like an army, making
from fifteen to twenty miles day.
| They live on pine nuts and various
kinds OF grain when they can get it.
"It is in October that they move in
on the Verde, and there are some old.
timers who have got the business OF
catching them down fine. 1t Is nov
| Ell COntrlVances anu ncNcI ueaTu VI ite
use any ywhere else. They build pine
pole pen in the heart of the rendez.
vous of the turkeys. This pen is about
four feet wide, eight feet long and
three high. A small hole just large
enough to admit the body of the turkey
is cut in the side of the pen near the
ground. Wheat is then scattered fol
many feet away from the pen, aud
trails of the wheat lead into this hole
"The turkeys coming along get into
these trails and follow them up, theil
heads down all the time, and thus they
walk up, one by one, and enter the hole
Once in, then they look up, and imme
diately begin walking around. looking
high, and craniDg their necks, trying
to get out. They never think of look
ing down. That is not their habit.
"Thus 1 have seen trap full OF per
haps fifteen turkeys, and not one o
them know how to get out. 1t is {
very curious thing, but there are mel
in Arizona who do little else than thui
capture wild turkeys and market then
ON the railroad and in the outlying
mining camps. They make a goot
living at it, too. Some make as mucl
as 800 or $500 month in this cas-!
W8V.