Evening star., 1895-09-14

ner, even to trapping; but legitimate sports
men take some one of the above methods
Unless vol are already an expert with the
call, you had better make one and practice
on it until you go shooting. Take the
larger of the two small bones found in a
turkeys wing. clean it thoroughly inside
and out and dry it. Then go with it to
some barnyard and learn to initiate the
hen birds, for it is only the gobbler thai
will be called up in hopes of adding a new
wife to his harem.
To Initiate Hen.
The peculiar "peet-peet-peet" of the hen
tt rkey is made by sucking in the air
through one end of the bone meanwhile
making cup of the hands and covering the
other end until the desired pitch is reached.
After you have attained degree of per-
fectioa sufficient to fool a tame gobbler
you may by chance fool young wild one.
but 1t takes a long time to become an adept
in the use of the call. Having mastered 1t
to a fair degree go to the woods where the
birds are supposed to be, and tramping
cautiously through them, call from time to
time. If you get an answer, hide yourself
as quickly as possible, and upon no ac-
count stir from the spot where you first
called. If possible get within range of an
open spot in the woods and get 1t between
you and your game He is almost certain
to, but 1t is best to try for it. Do not call
too anxiously. too loudly or too often.
Make Him Curious.
What you want is to excite his curiosity.
and the more you can convince him that
you are a hen turkey that never saw a
gobbler and never wants to, the better it
will be for you. Cock your gun and have
it ready fo- instant USE or the noise made
by doing inc,
through the woods just on the eve of sue
cess. Do not get discoura ged If at the end
Of twenty minutes you have not vet sight
ed your bird; an old gobbler is not to be
caught mapping. and it sometimes takes an
hour or even longer, ard the most ent:cing
squawks on the wing bone to get him where
you want him. On no account attempt to
go to him. Ii you do you may hear few
pattering footsteps on the leaves, and that
ends your chances for that particular tur-
key. If he once gets in range, take youI
time,-yet be rapid-aim your gun well be-
hind your cover that the barrels may not
attract his attention and blaze away. If
you are clumsy in your movements and
srtap twig. or even shake a branch or
,r.af ever SO little he will be away like q
flash. None but those who have expert
enced The results of their blunders are
aware thar a turkey has eyes all over him
and scare,, turkey is the fleetest thing
on two feet They seldom fly unless flush
ed, preferring to run, and a turkey that is
simply winged is lost bird.
The Right Sort of Gut.
A word here about guns: If yau are
good aand with rifle, you will enjoy u
ing your bird with this in preference to any
other weapon. but If not, heavy ten-bore
shotgun with an ounce of double BIS or
buckshot, backed up by four drachms of
e. c. powder, is what you want, and even
then your bird will die hard.
The second method, that of batting the
birds, Ia one of the most successful, and
is very largely practiced by all hunters.
Having obtained the general range of a
particular flock, construct circular blind
near some opening in the woods or brush
making it as inconsDicuouS and as nearly
the appearance of the general surround
ings as possible. Then with a bag of corn
over your shoulder start off into the woods
leaving a trail of corn behind you Make
the trail half mile to mile long, then
come back to tho blind and make q trail
iE the opposite direction; the more such
trails you make the better, taking care to
have them all meet on one side of your
blind, where you have good open range.
Don't Change the Blind.
Arrange your blind precisely rs you mean
TO hove 1t on the day you occupy ir. You
want the birds to congregate in plain sight
Of and close to it, and any alteration
in it after they have once become used 10
It, even in the smallest detail, the addi-
ton Or withdrawal of a single branch or
bunch of leaves. will attract instant at
tention, and may ruin everything.
day or two afterward you will prob
ably fiEd that your co:n hl; disappeared
If so, your success Is practically assured
Repeat your trails" again and again, for
couple of weeks. The easiest way is to
hire man to do 1T for you. At thu end
cf this time your birds are pretty well bait
ed. Bait them once more in the after
noon, and then get in your blind before
daylight the next morning, prepared to
spend the day in constant vigilance. If
you do, and are careful, you are almost
sure to get your reward.
But to return-lastly, we can resort to
the roost either at dusk to await their
coming, or before the birds are astir in the
morning. Each plan las its advantages
and disadvantages. If you adopt the for
chances are ten to one that your station
Is where you cannot single out any particu-
lar bird without moving, and to move IS
practically fatal. If you adopt the method
of visiting the roost before the birds
are astr. you have got to walk on
egg s4eils' for half mile, and then prob
ably startle them long before you reach
them. Still, many are killed in this man
ner and many hunters prefer this method
to all others. Personally 1 can say moth
ing for or against it, never having tried it.
Pick Out the Gobblers.
If you have your choice of birds, as in
blind shooting, single out the gobblers leave
the hens alone to replenish with. Under no
circumstances shoot hon unless you can
get nothing else. II is perfectly fair to get
a hen in preference to nothing, but the
gobbler is he king and is what you want
Never let your gun get out Of reach; have
it ready for instant use in a turkey coun-
try for you don't know at what moment
you may need it. A friend once gave his
gun to companion to carry to the boat
mile distant, he being tired out. Ten min
utes afterward eleven turkeys jumped up
on a log thirty yards off, one after the
other, looked demurely around and then
jumped down again.
Let all your movements be cautious
make no noise: and above all when tur-
keys are around about you keep still
as death, but don't get the buck ague. H.