The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-30
THE WIT OF
THE WOODS.
Name Given Wild Turkeys
by the indians.
DIFFICULT TO APPROACH.
How 10 Make an Effective and Sue
cessful Turkey Call.
PRACTICAL HINTS TO HUNTERS

Indians call the wild turkey the "wit Of
tho woods" 1t is the most difficult of
game to approach. The most scientific
method of killing IL Is by calling-imitat-
ing its cry. This is most efiicacious in the
spring. when tho gobblers call To the hens
necessarily In the early morning end at
intervals all through the day. The sound
may be either love note or a challenge to
male. In either case, If well done 10y
the hunter, it will prove effective in bring
Ing the bird near its hidden foe.
The best turkey call is made of the wing
bone. Sometimes il consists only of bit
of slate and "a smoothed twig The twig
when drawn across the slate gives won
derful imitation of the birds "cheep.v
To call successfully requires long practice.
Some men become so expert that they need
only broad leaf held between the thumbs
and applied TO the lips. The challenge
CALI is made in this way.
The gobbler tries hard to prevent the
hen nesting. He wants all OF her time and
attention. He must have an audience for
his strutting. After many attempts to
escape and more than one beating she will
suddenly go violently lame, with IA broken
wing and queer leg. This is favorite
trick of galinaceous females. The quail
does IL often To lure marauders from her
young. The gobbler has no use at all for
a lame wife. After pranclng around her
for little while and savagely striking her
with his wing he hies himself away into
deepest woods, heart whole and happy.
His patient spouse then makes her nest
In peace. Her foes are active, and she
needs all of her wonderful power of secre-
tiveness. Crows and snakes are fond Of
her eggs. The crow, if he discovers the
nest, will wait until the mother vacates it
In search of water and food and then carry
away the eggs one at "a time. While nest
ing the hens many times fall victims to
foxes, wild cats, leopard cats, lynxes or
coyotes.
The brood when hatched must be guard
ed first of all from the parent gobbler. II
he finds it, he will decapitate the chicks
one after another with his strong beak.
This is jealousy Caught in an open space
by lowering hawk the chicks, at the
sound of u peculiar cluck, will stretch
themselves upon the ground as if dead,
while the mother fees to the underground.
The hawk will not eat flesh that he>thinks
Is carrion. AT signal from the hidden
mother the little ones rise and scamper to
her. The hawk is then out of sight
Some of the things wild turkey does
smack of the reasoning faculty. For in
stance, hen will never tread upon the
same ground in approaching her nest. She
fears TO make path. The ability Of the
birds TO discover danger can hardly be due
wholly TO sight, phenomenal as it is. Pos
sibly they have a sixth sense. A turkey
will detect the movement of q finger 100
yards away. Perfect stiffness Is the hunt
ers only chance. Some of them declare
that they are afraid 90 wink one eyelash.
AS table bird the wild turkey is much
superior TO it's domcsticated brother, espe
cialy when baked in the ground and
steamed all night in its own royal juices.
Chicago Times Herald.