The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-11-27
,R0YALWILD TURKEY
towTaE TRUE SPORTSMAN HUNTS
.--THls- NOBLE GAME.

Glorious Sport, Seeking Him In His Wild
- Mountain Glades his Flesh Far Superior
! 10 His tDomestio Brothsr-Oid Gobblers
y Are Very knowing Birds @
Taking him "by and large an old
turkey gobbleris the quickest, swiftest.
ehiest and most knowing animal with
wings or without. He can run like
greyhound. smell like deer, see like
an eagle and fly like wild turkey.
You may have spent two hours in
crawling on your hands and knees over
d mountain open ,or in moving with
noiseless footsteps, each tone Of which
is considered with careful deliberations
and a single, sudden turn OF your head,
snap of a twig or CLEAN of sunshine on
your gun will send whole gang a mile
away and up the mountain, Upward it
always is. When a wild turkey does
not like the looks of things, he wants
the rockiest and toughest summit Of
the particularly highest headland Of the,
topmost ridge of whole range, and he
generally gets it. If it is steep, he runs,
and he can run up faster than you can
fall down If it is a gentle rise, he
thrashes the air with his mighty wings
clear up obstructing tree tops, and then
away he sails with avelocity that belongs
to 20 pound feathered,cannon ball.
Take dog along, ifFyou will, and
when the gang is busy feeding your
cur may surprise them SO quickly as to
make flush. Off they will fly, scatter
ing in every direction, no two birds to"
gether. If it is afternoon, they will
want to get together for the night, and
in a few hours you hear far off plain
tive qu-m ck, qu-urck, qu-urck, qu-urck,
qu-urck, qu-urck-seven notes, the last
three coming shorter and sharper. Now,
If you are one of the rare Individuals
who can make and manipulate turkey
call, take from your pocket the we'll
worn hollow bones of wild gobbler's
wings, be still as death and initiate that
queer invitation You will probably be
conscious that it is answered and have
some delicious sensations Nay, it may
even come nearer and lead you to mad
ly strain your eye nerves trying to see
through entirely opaque underbrush.
But unless those turkeys are very young
and foolish or are hens this will be
all. An old gobbler will have. thought
it all out long. before he steps within
range and silently fly away, leaving
you to wonder why the answer doesn't
keep on coming /, 4,
The thoroughbred and glorious way
to kill d turkey is to- 60 out alone in
the mountains with your winchester
and d half dozen cartridges and just
look for the n6bleTold fellow. Not that
just looking will do. TO make much of a
success you must listen for him, feel for
him, taste for him and smell for him, too,
and above everything else wait for him.
Get, into just the widest and most Sc
cluded glade you can climb to, where
the only harvestefS Of the chestnuts and
hickory nuts are the squirrels, where
the tea berries, huckleberries and wild
grapes grow only for the pheasants and
turkeys, where the wildcat screams at
[ night, the fox pounces on the rabbit,
the black bear hunts for bee trees and
the big horned owl is the villain in
many nocturnal tragedies. Keep in the
hunderbrush, but look out into every
open glade. Take note Of what there is
for turkey to eat and see if the dry
| leaves are scratched up
/, Walk about mile an hour and don t
put your foot down unless you know
what kind Of anoiseit is going to make.
Don't be sure it lisa squirrel you hear
scampering over the leaves until you
see him or hear his chatter. See every
thing that your eyes can take in and
keep them looking steadily on points in
distant leaf colored slopes until they see
many things that did not appear at
first. Stop sometimes and don't move
| anything but your eyeballs for five full,
silent minutes. Never make any sudden
move, consider whether the last night s
frost has fallen ON this area of ruffied
and torn up leaves, where plainly strong
toes have been laying there the rich,
dark earth or the sweet remains of the
chestnut crop.
When you decide that the scratching
has been done this morning, see where
it began and remember what ground
lies in the direction to which it tends.
Then follow, moving more slowly and
carefully. Come to steep mountain
SIDE steering to the sycamore fringed
river Do not dare to go directly down.
Sidle quickly off on better grade and
then, having circled over swift breath.
less half mile, work back to where the
: trail should meet the river meadow.
Take care. Drop at full length, little
cautious because of the haste. There
they are, strutting forth from the un'
dergrowth by the stream after washing
down the chestnut breakfast with cold
clear mountain water. They come vi
the hill toward you, and you lie like
a stricken man, with your rifle follow
ing every movement of great black
gobbler father of the flock, though ht
is still 800 yards away.
Motherly, mild hammered hens ant
young gobblers are in his train, slipping
dewdrops from the grass, picking al
ragweed, chasing grasshopper with
half open wings or ruffling into make
believe combats. But never for mo
ment are all off their guard. One, two
or three of their tall necks are always
stretched aloft full of eyes and ears, il
statuesque suspicion. Now the old COB
bier straightens up his head, poised foul
feet from the ground, trim, graceful
powerful, the sun glinting on the darl