Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-03-26
KILLING OFF WILD TURKEYS.
Destruction of the Noble Game In
North Carolina.


The wild turkey is still abundant in
the piney woods Of North Carolina, and
that such is the case is not because the
law gives this magnificent game bird
guarantee of protection against the
marauding pot hunter 1t is true that
It is violation of the game law OF the
state to kill or trap wild turkeys be-
tween the last OF February and the
first of October, but the destructive
method of batting them to their death
ib not prohibited. That there are any
wild turkeys left in the state at all, after
the generations of hunters that have
slaughtered them by wholesale by bait
! ing, seems a wonder. They are plenti'
full enough in Moore county yet, neal
almost every station of the Seaboard
Air line, to warrant continuance OF
the ancient custom Of farm hands hir'
| ing out by the year and agreeing tc
kill one wild turkey week for theiI
employers as part of their year'swork
Last year, one farm hand, having hired
| to farmer three miles north of South.
ern Pines, near Rays tract of round
timber, exceeded the number of wild tur'
keys he was to kill during the year by
eight, having bagged 60 fine speci'
mems. A hunter, or trapper, from
shef1ield's township brought in 12 one
day lately, all alive. He captured them
by pen trapping, method of capturing
turkeys that should be brought under
the ban of the law.
Batting for wild turkeys is simple
and sure. The hunter finds where o
flock is roosting, and then lays train
of corn through the woods to some
spot where he can conceal himself and
have his victims in close and full view.
AT that spot he places quantity oil
corn in small space on the ground
SO that when the turkeys have followed
the scattered train of kernels to the
ambuscade they will be brought to-
gether in close group, their heads to.
gether as they peck the corn there. The
hunter, if he can be so called, is hidden
behind a log or clump of bushes, per-
haps not more than three or four yards
away. His gun is heavily loaded will,
duck shot, and when the unsuspectin2
turkeys get their heads close together
at the small circle of corn he fires into
the bunch of birds, and to kill seven
at shot is not rare thing. A hunt
er named Blue, down on Downing creek
once killed ten turkeys over bait in this
way. Unless this and pen trapping are
brought under the ban of the law, the
legitimate hunter will have to go out
side this state for sport with wild tur
keys before many years.
Pen trapping for turkeys is less rep
rehensible than bait shooting, only be
cause it is not attended by the cold
blooded cruelty of the latter. 1t IL
Just as destructive to the game. Gov
cred pens are built in the woods wher'
wild turkeys forage, with no opening
in them large enough to permit tur
key to escape when once in the pen
except the hole by which they entel
the trap. At liberty, these birds are
wary, strategic and resourceful, bu
when they find themselves prisoner
in one of these pens they lose the'
heads and become one of the mos
helpless and stupid of creatures. The,
could easily escape by the aperture
that let them into the pen, but tina
never seems TO occur to them. Th
Turkeys are enticed to the pen by trail
ing corn from some locality frequent
ed by them to the entrance Of tn,
trap. This is a trench dug so that !
leads beneath the bottom log on on
side and opens in the pen, so that th'
turkeys, following the corn, have b
step up out of IL to get to the floor II
the interior. The instant turkey get
in, it seems to know that it is il
trouble, and at once begins a search TO
some place to get out. Unfortunatel.
for the bird, it looks only upward TO
the longed-for exit. 1t may step owe
the opening by which it entered score
of times, and see other members of tn
flock follow each other into the PEI
through it, but it never occurs to tn
turkey or its companions to go out b.
it. Thus u whole flock may be CAP
tured in short time, and the trap
per has but to remove them at his leie
ure.-N. Y. Sun.