Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-19

The Pursuit Of 'the Finest Game Bird
in the World"

IN the WorIos
Big, beautiful, brave and wise, the
wild turkey is ideal game for the Unit
ed States. He is big enough to sat-
isfy some Of the material craving OF
even the big game hunter. He eludes
the still-hunter as subtly as the snyest
deer. He gives the cross-country rid
er, coursing him with hound and horse |
a run that often is equal to fox hunt
ing. The wing shot finds him equal, 10
the occasion. He is the finest game
bird in the world. Not even the royai
auerhahn. sole living representative OF
the ancient big game world oi Europs
when the huge auerochs crashed
through the forests, can compare Win
him. N'0"t - ..
Like the moose, he outwits man ey-
cry time until the human creature'
more stupid in wOoderaft but more
knowing of the weakness OF crea.eu
things, betrays him by initiating the
call of his love. Then he casts aslae
his suspicion and, grandly trusttui' ne
struts like the king he is into the
open, and holds out his broad breast
for a target for the hidden hunter.
There is only one way to be really
certain of bagging wild turkeys even
after the hunter has found mock.
That is to sneak at night INTO the
grove where they are known 10 roosI
and shoot them while they are Sleep
ing on the branches. The immense
birds present an easy mark even III u
pretty dark night. Sometimes Two OF
more can be killed before the fright-
ered things gather their wits enough 10
flap away. But that is ASSASSINATION
and not sport.
Hunting the wild bird with hound
and horse is sport for the very select
| few, for not only is it necessary 10 nhu
the birds first, but they must be 1ouno
| in open country where they cannot es-
cape too readily by flying into cover.
Therefore. coursing is limited 10 open
country where the turkey, not naVlns
been hunted too fervently, is incau-
tious enough ito feed in farmlands ana
open flat country. The dogs are sent
in to cut off the retreat to the WOODS
and then the mounted men break out
of their hiding places and pound down
on them.
The wild turkey flies and runs alter
nately. He lopes like an ostrich though
not so fast, and whenever he thus takes
! to running the dogs and horses gain on
him. When they get unpleasantly
close, up booms the big bird and flies
like feathered projectile straight
ahead until he has reached a safe DIS
lance, when he pitches again and re-
sumes running.
1t is clean sport and exciting enough
to hurry any mans blood. But the
| IF ha fnrkpV.
lshotgun or rifle, that tests mans
strength and cunning and woodcraft
and patience to the full. IS still-hunt-
ing. ..e
1t may be enjoyed still in some parts
of Pennsylvania. But the best terri
tory for it is in the Southern states
Virginia offers it in the country on
both sides of the Blue Ridge, although
it is not necessary to go so far to
reach haunts of the fine game. Gull
pepper county, where President ROose-
welt hunted. is only a short distance
from the national capital and well east
of the mountains. tFt-...t.. --i, g.
West Virginia contains thousands OF
acres of hunting country that is in
many respects as wild as it was before
the white men landed in America.
Western North Carolina has turkeys.
particularly between the Blue Ridge
and the Great Smoky Mountains, and
thence on across into Tennessee the
turkey hunter can still find surprising
lily large tracts of hunting country
where not only turkeys but deer and
bear hide in the thickets.
At this season the turkey hunting is
more desirable in those states than in
the more southern Ones on account of
| the bracing weather that makes
| tramping through woods and over
mountains a pleasure. But the turkey
| can be found as far south as Florida.
Florida turkey shooting is easier, as q
| rule. than it is in the mountainous and
thickly wooded states. They have some
things that they call mountains down
| there. very neat little, hills. Such a
| group of mountains lies in the centre
| of the peninsula and is known as the
Apopka Mountains. 1t is near ApOpka
Lake, one of the many beautiful crystal
| water lakes of Florida, and anyone who
| wants turkeys enough to work for
them there. Fine big birds some of
them are, too, Captain L. G. Billings, of
the United States Navy, got one there
weighing twenty-eight pounds.
No man should decide to still-hunt
wild turkeys without having considered
the matter solemnly in the light of the
experience of others. The bird is all
nerve and muscle and wariness from.
the moment he opens his bright eyes
to the dawn. He can see the hunter
long before the hunter catches even the
first fleeting bronze sheen of a single
feather of his. Big as he is, he can
melt away in the underbrush, stirring
neither leaf nor twig as he goes at top
speed. He can squat in a clump of
dead grass scarcely enough to cover
him and lie there SO close and notion
less that the sportsman may almost
step over his retreat without dream
ing that a twenty-pound gobbler is in
it. i ftt -
When the bird is tracked on snow. he
will lead the shooter a chase of miles.
The turkey can hear as keenly as he
can see. A cracking twig under foot |
will startle him more quickly even
than it will deer. Often the man will |
not be able to get shot, although he |
may follow flock all day long. Often