Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-28
FLYING LOW.
OLD HUNTER HAS A DAYS SPORT
WITH THE COLONEL.
Famunky's Hest Game-ffow the Meiea-
girls GaIiipavo IL Trapped, Killed,
ard Eaten-A Good Days bag.
rPh,ladelphi. Tlmes.l

taking an aggressive hand in IL, and he had
found himself with a thousand acres OF
land big and old-fashioned log house,
and still larger barn. My old friend with
HOneric face and a stalvart frame loved
his rod and gun and followed the woods IN
fll seasons for game with the same zest ~
exhibited when he YVES boy intent on
Strengthening gray squirrels with an old
mnzzle-loader.
After q day with my farmer friend Col
onel Larue, we brought home fat buck
fnwn with the spikes Just coming out on
ITS head As we came along "A rough cordu-
ROY country road we crossed the fresh trail
OF large gang Of wild turkeys, which had
been travelling straight down the river 70
ward a cypress swamp where they roasted.
Ny imagination was on fire IN moment.
We noared the lane leading up to the great
tvo-stOry log house, and an ante-DeLuih
darky. with "A mouth like poor mans
lease, running from ear TO ear" threw
the gate wide open, Jumping up and down
with delight at the sight OF the bucA lawn
carelessiy slung across the saddle Oh tho
Colonel's old gray mare.
THE MELEAGRIs GhLLIPAyO.
The Colonel laughed softly as he SAL
II think | can make a sportsman OF you IN
q single week N. Bile knew 1t was my
rife-shot, the deer on q run at that, which
killed the splke-buck), and after We, grt
our supper with your permission Will ten
You something about the habits and tho
habitats OF the wild turkey. which You are
pleased 10 call in foreign tongue the Mecca
gris qagiparo. We cali ZEN down here,
| but we do il with a turkey-call, made out
Of the wing OF the bird
On that farm the war had not made many
! changes, for the negroes lcunged around,
In spite Of the cold weather. half dressed.
aud il was q sight TO see three Of them
| grab the fat fawn and strip of It's hide
nearly as quick a | can describe 1t. Ana
within an hour after We sighted the quaint
! log house and tine grinning ScIpiO Airl-
| cauus mt the gate we sat dOgn TO an old
| Virginia supper. The supper and the VINE
and the fire infused into us new sense OF
enjoyment, and as we smoked our Rap
| pahannocks" insisted on my host telling
| me how to hunt the wild turkey:
&C. tainly / will" replied the gallant
| Colonel.
HOW TO HUNT TURKEYS.
before Won 20 turkey limiting Won
want 10 know how g. load your shooting
| iron. and what to do when you see or hear
| q turkey. for no game bird IN North Anne
rica is half as flip or sly a. the Wild tur-
/ key.
Il usually load with No. 5 shot because
my GUN shoots this size best, but No. )
]
VIII suit you just rs Well
"You know am not advocate Of large,
! and ANYTHING between 3 and will answer
/ beautifully.
Prom Canada al tho way southwark
/ the wild TURKEY stu abounds, but has al
most totally disappeared IN the eastern
/ States. Climatic changes aL"ct the turkey
! n! tnev do other game birds. the Canadian
/ and Michigan turkey differing from those
/ % Missouri and the Indian Territory III size
and color.
WARY as these birdsare they are readily
| caught in trap by an experienced hunter.
/ The primitive trap Of the old settler IS as
dangerous b. tho wild turkey rs any Of the
modern contriyauces.
a long pen Is built, three or four feet
/ in height and fourteen or sixteen feet IN
/ length. The logs at ono endando on bothsldeS3
| are laid close. while those Mt the other end
are open below for about Foot In height,
which leaves lust room enough for tur-
! KEY 10 wa k under with its head down, as
is It's habit while feeding. The structure
is well covered up with heavy boughs. At
| the sides converting wings are placed and
| q long train Of corn il scattered over the
ground leading directly tothe pen.
AsrmLE TRAP.
"Whcn a flock Of turkeys find the trail,
! they feed up % the pen and walk under
tho front logs 10 feed upou the corn m
| side. Having had good dinner they then
prop0se 10 retire. But here their little
| eame is checkmatcd. They are no longer
seeding. and hold their heads up and
! haven't sense enough 20 look down. They
| tiv up toward the light, but of course they
| can't oct out in that direction, as the only
opcniug il the low down one through
| which they entered. Sometimes half a
| dozen pobblers aud hens are caught at
once. and the trapper visits his traps 81
least once q day. and often whole mock
are captured in two or three days in the
same trap.
Turkeys begin 10 nest in March and
April, making q nest Otavery primitive ma
| ture. in p secluded spot III the woods, ana
| il il constructed Of sticks and moss. Tho
/ hen laws from fifteen 10 twenty eggs, but
does not allow the gobbler 10 know where
/ The most l. located. but steals away from
| the old Mormon and constructs 1t where be
cannot discover II.
A LUKEwARM HOUSEHOLD.
"She remains away from her husband
not ONLY during the laying season, but also
after the Young have been Matched, when
she has them under her care. The sexes
do NOT unite again till November. when
they travel southwark to feed upon the
heavy mast in the bottom lands. About
October thew begin TO collect into what are
called gobbler blocks. As they work south
ward toward the oak-mast-trees they are
ioined on the way 10y the females and the
Young birds. with whom they remain
until the following spring, when they
sanarote aoaiu "a before. In the spring
the hens roost apart from the gobblers, but
usually within call.
The hunter must know where the tur-
kov roosts. He knows that they leave
their roOsts on some high tree between the
I first glimpse Of daylight and sunrise, often
robblng loudly Just at daybreak. How
ever much they are shot al during the DAY
they will 90 90 rOost III the same woods
promptly at set Of sun.
~ Ills popularity of roostlng at sunset IS
found IN the tame turkey at home and
abroad, for in Germany. which country
visited in 1865. have seen large flock OF
turkeys. much to the disgust Of Their
driver, lump up on q roadside fence just az
/ sunset and insist on TOOsting there all
night. And in our own country have
seen driver, who was green hand at tur-
key-driYng, trying 10 reach u market
place with drove before night. hut al
/ sunset the whole flock dew into roadside
orchard. and the hopeless driver could not
be comforted because be could not as
lodge the turkeys with either STICKS or
stones.
Now think Pve told you enough for
one night. -" continued nv host. You can
practice on the turkey-call gave you to-
day, and you will be proficient IN the
calling business by the time we are ready
70 start"
An EARLY start.
At4AM. we had breakfast. We took
but one feld-hand, a black man armed with
an old battered ARMY musket heavily
charged with No. shot. After driving
three miles 10 the edge of a cypress swamp
we each sought the talest tree we could
ind and silently wended our way TO the
foot OF the tree, waiting for the first streak
Of dawn. Sciplo had detected this spot 10y
following the turkey tracks in the snow a
day before. Once used TO roost, 1t takes
many hunters TO dislodge them nom Tue
place where they use" =,
/ heard the "gobble. gobble" OF pig
bird directly over my head with. the hrst
glimpse of gray in the morning sky. let
drive directly under him and down came q
gobbler weighing sixteen pounds, falling
dead at my feet. But there was scattera-
ton Of game birds and noise through the
dark woods sounding like the tread Oh al
army with banners.
FLASKING THE VICTIMS.
The turkeys hew toward a slough TO the