The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-26

point 20 point like a Yacht heating
against the wind. He looks back at his
tail with unbounded admiration. lie
gobbles vociferouslv. He is proude,
and more affected than a peacock.
Bang! All is over with the ardent sutton.
When two gobblers meet each other,
as they frequently do when both are
looking for trouble, there ensues a bat
tie royal. If one is shot as they are
nearing together the other. utterly OBJ
livious of the presence of an enemy
with gun, ut once attacks his diving
rival and Will remain there gratifying
his vengeance until he, too. is slain.
Hunting wild turkeys by moonlight
is favorite feature of the sport This
can only be done in the winter when
the trees are bare of leaves. The roost-
ing place is ascertained as nearly "a
may be before it becomes dark, and
late at night the hunter repairs 10
the spot and moons" the sleep
ing birds That is, he draws bead
on the moon and by shifting his
position ne finally gets the body
of the turkey to darSen the sights and
then fires with great accuracy. 4 shot
gun Is generally used for night shoot
ing, though many old mountain hunt
ers would seorn to shoot a '.dad-gun
han'ful o bullets at anything. and
can draw as fine a bead on "A rife az
night against the moon as they could
at midday.
Pete and Jim Hubbard. who had
trace of black blood in their veins. and
lived down on Deer creek, in Madison
county, o., 40 the wa" were grea.
turkey hunters, and either of them
could kill bird while flying with a.
most unfailing certainty with a rifle.
Pete. it is said. could run like n tur-
key" and has been known 70 chase a
bird with broken wing for two miles,
finally catching il.
Usually, in night shooting. the tur.
keys scatter and fly at the first shot.
The heavy wings make a great whir-
ring in the still night, and the sound
ceases with a sudden ''biff. when the
turkey alights on another tree, per-
haps one hundred yards. perhaps a
quarter Of mile away. The trained
hunter can locate a turkey accurately
by the noise of his flight. Sometimes,
at night, the hunter wastes his charcs
of shot in squirrels nest. or a bunch
of leaves, the turkey escaping un-
harmed.
On a heavy, wet day, when it is sleet,
ing or when soft. moist snow is fall
ing, turkeys are unable to fly any con.
siderable distance. and when rain
freezes as il falls the wings are some.
times so stiffened with ice that they can
not fly at all. Then the trained turkey
dog is useful. and two or three hunters
who understand the proper methods
will play sad havoc with flock of birds.
1t is matter of practical impossibility
for the hunter 70 obtain shot when
the turkeys are on the ground unless
he comes upon them by surprise. An
ordinary still hunt for turkeys is toe
frequently barren of results.
The birds manage to fy up in trees,
however. TO get away from the dog,
and the dog barks TO notify the hunt
tiers that ne has ''treed" The birds
are then easily approached Even on
days when turkeys can fly well they
will frequently take refuge in trees
when pursued by dog, and remain
until they are shot. p
A Continuance the most ingenious and
unfair, looking at IL from the turkev's
point of view. is the turkey pen. bv
means Of which surprisingly large num-
bers of turkeys are sometimes captured.
The pen is built of rails and covered
over 50 as 10 be "turkey-tight A
trench or ditch il then dug beneath the
bottom rail. through which the turkeys
are tolled with corn. and the stupid
birds never think OF going out the same
way they camein-