The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1898-11-22
A ROYAL SPORT.
MILD TURKEY SHOOTING AS IT USED
TO BE.

TO BE.
Always Called Good Game-A sly and
Knowing Bird-Trfcks of the Trade.
How Turkeys Are Trapped-BenJa-
min Franklin's Idea Of the Turkey.
The turkey, like Thanksgiving day,
with which he is inseparably associated
in the American mind, is, in the lam
guage.o of proud Yankee, lone Of the
institootions. It had been domesticat-
ed and bred in the old world before the
pilgrim fathers landed on Plymouth
Rock presumably by the Spaniards, who
captured specimens in Mexico and trans
ported them to Europe. In every part Of
the American continent except the frig.
id regions of the extreme north the
earliest settlers found the turkey in its
wild state. The species of fowl which
was regarded as so toothsome at the first
American Thanksgiving was the bird Of
today in his unenlightened condition.
The pioneers of all parts Of the Unit
ed States where there were extensive
| tracts of forest found wild turkeys in
great abundance, and even In the days
when deer were plentiful no hunter
scorned this bird as unworthy Of his
prowess. Wild turkey hunting was and
yet is royal sport wherever the bird
exists. He is considered noble game
and, like the deer and the buffalo, has
rapidly disappeared from many Of his
former haunts before the march of civil
lization. He is now seldom found in his
native state except in the larger forests
of the great north and northwest, the
brush lands of Arkansas and the Indian
territory and the jungles Of semitropical
Florida.
| Within the memory of many sports
men turkey hunting was considered
great sport in southern Indiana and nli-
nois, and the writer, who is lone Of the
trade" has brought down more than
one Of the proud birds by the skillful
use of his father ancient, long barreled
rifle The methods of taking the turkey
all require the exercise of ingenuity.
The bird is timid and regards man as
his natural enemy. It is and has been
since the turkeys of the country first
observed that a man with gun pro-
duced great noise and much slaughter
among them impossible to get near
enough to render shot certain Of re-
suits without approaching the game un-
der cover.
When turkeys were plentiful In the
great wooded tracts Of the Ohio and the
Mississippi valleys, the hunters in the
daytime sought for their roosts. which
! were. easily found by means Of the
faces. Then he concealed himself with
: in easy range of the place and awaited
: sunset, when large flock would ap.
! proach the place and one by one fly ur
to the almost horizontal branches on
!. which the birds prefer to roost. A shot
at that time would put an end to the
!. sport. The hunter must wait until the
last Of the flock has mounted the perch
and the twilight has 80 deepened that
he can but just fix by his vision the
! muzzle sight of his rife in the little
a nick Of the one nearer the breech. If he
Q remains out of sight, he may be able to
secure two or even three birds ere the
darkness puts an end to his sport Then
b he gathers up his game and goes home
a to return long before the cock crows.
g for at break of day his turkeys will
O leave that roost never to return. If hs
d is careful, he may get two more Of ths
"a flock as result of his early morning
d visit
Then comes another ruse Of the hunt
- er, by the skillful exercise of which h
Is may be able to inveigle two or thre'
N moro of the turkeys to their death. II
ID the wing of each turkey is a hollow
IS bone that can readily be transformed
a into a whistle, the note of which, wher
,e properly blown, very closely resembles
m the call of a turkey. Not far away and
il we'll concealed lies the daylight muir
IF derer's accomplice." As soon after theil
ia fight from the perch as the turkeys dis
IT cover that all has become quiet and th'
| gobblers have mustered up little cour
s. age, they begin calling for the purpos'
" Of collecting the remnant Of the flocl
/. preparatory to a permanent departur
20 from the scene of the massacre Tn
II second hunter softly answers with hi
IN whistle, and the chances are great tina
ne he will by often responding to the in
ut quiring cry lure the turkey With
I range Of his gun. A sharp report, r.
he peated over and again by the eohoin
Mt hillsides, futter Of wings in deaf
struggle on the ground, and the fore.
I'd is again wrapped in silence.
er After an hour of waiting the huntt
a sounds his call, then listens for fail
he response. If none is heard, he ventur,
,et again. A third effort is likely to clio
nd an answer unless the turkeys have bt
as come SO terrified by the last shot this
ut by common impulse they have fed pr
n. oipitately alone or in very small groups
,et II they have hidden themselves
ZEE clumps of bushes or the tops Of falle
trees to which the withered foliage
still clinging, the hunter may get ~
other shot.
sse The third method is to entrap q
he birds A strong pen Of logs or rails
~ erected in the wood, and trench vii
ue an easy descent beneath the foundatic
,ut piece is dug deep enough to admit Il
an largest turkey without crowding.
es- the trench little corn is strewn, ar
all the turkeys walk along eating or loo
ing for something to eat as they 60 u
OF til all of them are within the pc
ed Then they become alarmed and 60 tea
m. ing around the inclosure with the
W. heads erect and chirping as loudly
er- they can.
an They never lower their heads enout
ds, to discover that it is as easy for sens
si- BILE bird to get out as for foolish OF
his to get in, and as the pen is securely CO
ik- cred the turkeys remain there until Il
ot- clever Srapper comes and puts a perem
KS tory end to their dire alright Bspj
;he min Franklin once deplored the q
ed. that the turkey had not been selected
ers the bird Of freedom, but it is probab
ic- best that the Yankees did not make th