The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-24


(FroYn the New York SUM
Tbs wild turkey is an American to the
very tips of his broad, powerful gray
wings. Among birds he is the true
is needed TO endow him with picturesque
qualities, as the Indians headed Feni-
more Cooper to supply the sir of romance
which surrounds them. T be man who
has ever " on with tireless climbing ana
eternal Wig lance the sigElG OF great
brorz, wild turkey gobbler in his native
mountain haunts needs no argument to
convince him that the eaglsi is pitiable
and rowdy character in comparison to
figure as the national bird Of these
Emitted States. The sturdy men who
with their axes and rites wen America
for civilization relied on the turkey for
thsir Thanksgiving dinners In many
timos of leann ess il the wilds of Virginia
end Kentucky and New York and In
diana the noble bird furnished the sinews
of war.
In those timeis he was to be found in
sill the regions cast of tho Mississippi,
where heavily wooded districts gave his
splendiG tribe heir food of chestnuts,
wild berries, an6 nourishing seeds. But
the shyest of all birds is absolutely In
compatible with civilization, and he has
retired year by ye ar until now only the
most secret places in the Alleghanies and
she vast swamps of tho southern states
give any hope to the perseveIing turkey
hunter.
The wonder is that the bird still exists
at all. For ever since the white men
came all manner Of nefarious schemes
have been concocted for his destruction.
Let gang Of turkeys, say 10 or 10, the
adults of couple Of families, show them
selves few times on the ledge of their
almost Uncomfortable swamp dwelling and
there W i'll not be wanting pot hunters to
sny on tQlen for months till the roost OF
the big thirds is located on some high
veteran pine, SCARED with lightning,
raising il arms, LAGOON like, from some
IittIs isIar ID hidden in the marsh and
tbioket. srhen, on a night when the
moon is fat and red and round the muir
dere1s wade through miles Of the morass
and peer alb ore into the pine until they
dimly perceive the dusky forms crouched
on the more nearly horizontal boughs.
Not until tn position of sPery turkey is
determined does the massacre begin, and
then the bird nearest the ground is select
ed to be ruth lessly shot; after that the
one next above receives the old muzzle
leaders, charge Of buekshot, and SO on to
the highest. II this order is followed tho
whole flock may be shot down, but let
wounded bird come f1uttering down from
above past one of his poor parking, quit
ting neiahbors, ami the lower one takes
flight and the whole flock is off.
The mountainee1s may catch glimpses
now and then in th cir housekeeping OF
gray, disappearing winge, and learn that
a flock is constantly resorting about
certain ridge A big pen OF rails is built,
with no opening large enough to admit
turkey except a single hole dugl under
the bottom stick Of the pen. Then en-
ficing trails of coSn are laid from various
parts of the ridge and the ravine on
eithor side. some of the corn trails about
a half a mile long, but all converging to
the opening under the pen, and tempt
ino nile of grain is left just Inside the
tran. On some uDf, artu uate day the tur-
KEYS find the trails and feed right up in
the right direction, cunning one in front
Of another, picking up th 9 grains which
are dropped foot OF" SO apart, until they
come to the pen.
Presently one can stand the temptation
no longer. and squeeEes under the rail
through the hole. The sight Of the darH
tns. one gobbling up all the corn is too
much for the nerves OF the outsiders,
and in a few moments the whole gang is
fnsida. Ard now coinsH the absurd part
of the businesr- When the birds have
tusaud to leave. up lgo tho long necks
through the Sits in the pen on every side
frantic clawings and hutterings shake
the stouo rails, but not single idiot of
tho lot ever by any chance squeezes hback
cut of that hole under the lowest rail,
which admitted him.
Instead of pen, tae trails may be led
to a blind. when the habits of particu-
lar flock have been studied closely
enough to make it wogth while to sit In
ambush from daylight on and wait for
them. Thirty feet gin front of the am
busoaae of artistically arranged cedar
boughs. a marrow trough in the ground
fs filled to the brim with corn and grain.
II all goes we'll, the birds come upon the
srant7 trail and begin to eat greedily al
together at the trough, their long necks
intsrlnoed while they peck away for dear
life. IL an old four-hore muzzle.loa1er
stuffed up with about thr GO ordinary
charges of heavy shot ia kept trained on
the trough until this moment, there is
good chance that IA pull of the trigger
will blow the heads of q largo Part of
tie gang.
rhese are the ways turkey ought not
BIO hunted, or, rather, butchered. To
hear of them one might take the wild
turkey to be an exceedingly foolish fowl,
and on these particular occasions he un.
doubtedly is; but they are only the start