The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-16
HUNTING TURKEYS IN THE ozAnKs.
Stories by an Old Ozark Hunter-Thc
Wild Birds Haunts and Habits.


Wild Birds Haunts and Habits.
From the st. Louis Globe Democrat
The range of the wild turkey is narrow
ing as the advance of civilization en-
croaches upon his domain. 1t is not SO
many years ago when the mountains of
Southwestern Pennsylvania echoed in the
springtime with the call of the lordly old
gobbler as he strutted before bevies of
brown and bronZed hens. But to-day he
treads the mountain paths no more. In
West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and
the other southern states the wild turkey
is to be found. but nowhere do these
splendid game birds thrive aud propagate
as they 40 in Missouri and Arkansas.
Through the length and breadth of the
Ozark hills and away down into the great
stretches of level timber country turkeys
can be found in numbers sufficient TO
make their pursuit worthy of consideration
by the sportsman. From the head waters
of the Usage to the Missouri river the wild
country is prolific in turkeys. They are
also found in plenty in the bottoms of the
White, the Black and the st. Francis riy
ers; but nowhere else can such genuine
| sport be found in the pursuit of the wary
old bird as the bottoms and bluffs that
! stretch back from the Gasconade river
east and west a mile or two, and north
ward from Arlington where the Frisco
| souri,. The bottoms are wide, and the
| bluff lines are broken by numerous raw
ines leading back into the table lands on
the backbone of the ridges. These ravines
afford easy pathways for the turkeys to
! the vast corn and wheat fields of the bot
! toms, and the benches on the mountain
| side offer security and convenience for
| nest-hiding
The nesting turkey has many enemies
! to combat, but none more destructive
than the lordy gobbler with whom she
mates in the early spring. She dare never
! let the male bird know her nesting place,
or he will crush every egg and tear the
nest into countless fragments Conse-
| quently the hen turkey has to sneak
away into places that his gobblership
,s..Ir E-ks4. IL
! her nest and rear her young. ! have, by
| chance, discovered several nests, and
could not but admire the cunning and in
genuity of the mother bird in selecting
! the location. | saw an old hen turkey
| dodge under a little cedar one day whose
lower branches touched the rocks. The
| cedar was upon one of the little shelves
| of a cliff, fully $50 feet from the ground.
/ crept cautiously to point about twelve
feet distant where | could get peep be-
meath the cedarS dropping branches. and
! discovered the old hen turkey sitting
| upon the nest, which was made of dead
| leaves and dry grass. She was industri-
! ously placing leaves and grass upon her
| back with her beak, and continued the
! performance until not a Yestige Of the
! she stretched her neck and took a hur-
! ried look about her, Satisfied that she
was not watched, the old hens head was
| drawn down close to the pile OF leaves,
! and the closest observation would reveal
nothing that looked more life-like than
bit of stick projecting slightly above the
tious and suspicious; and it taxes the
cunning of the most experienced woods
man or hunter to successfully. outwit the
bird if given anything like fair chance.
1 The turkey is all eyes, ears and feet. They
are never in a hurry to fly when alarmed,
preferring to dodge pursuit by craft and
active use of their tireless legs.
Nov. / begins the open season on wild
turkeys in Missori, and it closes jan ].
There are many ways to hunt the wild
turkey. but none that awakens all the
sensiblities of a sportsman so keenly as
a moonlight visit to their roosting places
The writer recalls, with all the enthus-
asm of an old turkey hunter. many
peasurable experiences in Southwest Mis-
souri, in pursuit of the turkeys. Last No
Vember we pitched our tent on the Cas-
conade river about eight miles north of
Arlington, with Perry Andreas as guide.
Perry would rather hunt and fish than
revel in all the luXuries that civilization
can offer. He is as tireless on the tran
of turkeys as an Indian on the war-pat h;
and can locate roosts with all the precis
ion of a skilled woodsman who knows the
habits of the game. But the champion
turkey hunter of Southwest Missouri is
Ben Foster. This individual came up to
our camp a few hours after 1t was estaD-
lshed Foster is the typical mountainser.
and his "reminiscences of life in the OZarks
dents He dropped the butt of his old
Kentucky rife to the ground, his form
as erect as an Indian.
"Howdy?" he calculated, In the friendly
style of the country. 'Youns keerin'
about gittin' some turkeysY'
you bet we are replied the irrepres-
"See Won eagle soarin' above stony
creek gulch2 WAL, that means turkeys,
shore. Them burned eagles jist raises
The eagle was fully 900 yards distant.
circling around as gracefully and easily
Presently the bird Of freedom drew up
his wings and let himself drop below the
black oaks that hid the mouth of the
ravine. The cry of alarm could be plainly
heard from the turkeys, but the old bird
of prey arose again without victim in
his powerful talons. once more he began
circling in the blue zone above the bluffs.
Come on, pardners,' said Foster, IN
show We how TO get some turkeys"
BY a circuitous route we landed on a
bench about sixty feet above the bed of
Stoney creek. On looking down we could
see at least thirty turkeys huddled to-
gether i'm the brush. The impulse to
shoot was suppressed by an exclamation
Not yit, Wait an yen see some fun.
burned old eagle"
We had only "A few moments TO wait
when down swooped the monarch Of the
air. The group of turkeys remained mo-
tionless. until the eagle WIS within
twenty feet OF them, when they darted
out with frightened peeps, forming afper-
feet circle In the dense thicket. The
eagle was baked again, for when Ills
monster wings came in contact with the
hazel bush they were useless. Quickly
he started to ascend when one fool turkey
took IL into his head to fly 70 the top Of
the DUH QUICKLY tue eagle WHttlth
around and darted for that unfortunate
bird, and. with a Shrek of eXultation,
closed It's talons on the tender flesh.
Instantly Fosters old long Kentucky
rifle WAS thrown TO his shoulder. HIS
pose, as he followed the ascending bird
Of prey and It's victim with that print
tive piece of firearm, was a picture an
graceful and steady as nature ever pro-
duced. As the eagle had reached the tree
tops above the cliffs and was just about
to turn to the westward old "kaintuck'
spoke In sharp and spiteful, but not n
loud voice, For the space OF three heart
beats the great bird seemed 10 stand mo-
tionless with outspread wings. Then lie
collapsed. He and his victim came crash
ing down through the timber that frlngod
the walls OF the ravlne, striking tho creek
bottom with force that plainly told vs.
that both were stone dead.
The flock Of turkeys arose TO wing their
way up the ravinc, WREN Andreas big 10
bore roarcd and my Y added TO the mt
Gasconade send back echoes. and two Of
the fleeing turkeys lay kicking the dead