The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-26
TAME TURKEY AS A DECoY.
Other Methods Used by Hunters
 Lure a Wary Bird.

Other Methods Used by Hunters to
 Lure a Wary Bird.
 A most necessary essential in hunt ing wild turkeys is a satisfactory method of calling them within gun range, for there are very few opportu mites for killing them unless they can be lured by some deceit within the zone of the sportsman's gun.
 Perhaps the most popular and wide ly used home made caller, says the Kansas City Star, is that fashioned from the small bone in the second joint of turkeys wing This bone is cleansed of all meat and gristle and carefully scraped with the sharp edge of a knife blade or a piece of broken glass; Then the ends are cut away and filed smooth, after which the marrow is removed and the bone al- lowed to become thoroughly dry. The orifices at either end are now carefully reamed out with the point of q sharp pointed knife, caution being taken to leave no splintered or jagged edge to spoil the harmony of the note by giy- ing it a jarring tone
 The bone is slightly curved, round at one end and taperjng something like the muzzle of the antiquated blunder- buss. At the other end the bone is a bit flattened, which makes a natural mouthpiece. The caller is operated by placing the f1attened end between the lips at the right corner of the mouth, clasping the right hand about the oth- CT end as a muffler much as one closes up his fist, only the fingers are bit more. open. Over the opening of the right hand the fingers of the left are now clasped and the note can be va ries by opening and closing these fin gers until almost any note of the bird can be initiated. The bone is held gently in the crotch made by the thumb and index finger of the right hand, the end protruding an inch or more into the hollow of the closed fin- gers.
 Some degree of skill is required to operate this caller successfully, but practice will enable almost any one who has slight ear for music to imi- tate the yelp of the turkey sufficiently well to deceslve almost any member of the tribe, except possibly wary old gobbler who has been fooled number of times and perhaps hit by a few stray shot.
 The caller is especially popular be- cause of the ease with which it can be secured the bone from the tame tur- key's wing being quite as good as that of the wild bird, and the small space 1t requires in ones hunting coat The bone of a small turkey is better than that from a large bird, as in the latter case the callers are generally too coarse in their note.
 Some hunters use a piece of cane about five or six inches in length and of the size ordinarily employed for pipe stems. In cases of emergency turkeys have been successfully called with a brier pipe with the customary amber or rubber stem. The difficulty with the pipe is to prevent the note from being too coarse.
 Young turkeys, until after their first season, may be brought within range by whistllng in imitation of their im- mature notes, but older turkeys, as a rule, cannot be so deceived.
 A very successful turkey hunter of northern Arkansas employs a tame turkey which he has raised as a pet as his caller, and he says it is the best ever invented. The turkey was left an orphan soon after it's birth and the farmer raised it "by hand" as the ex- precision goes in the country. It is so tame and so attached to him that it will eat out of his hand and follows him about the ample yard of his coun- try place like a dog. When he goes turkey hunting he takes his pet along, a string attached to it's foot, and when he reaches the range he ties his pet to a bush and retires into the brush out of its sight, where he takes his stand and awaits developments.
 The pet bird is greatly distressed at thus being left alone, and runs back and forth as far as the tether will al- low, yelping continuously. It evidently sounds call for help which is irresis- tible to those of its kind, for # there is wild turkey within hearing dis tance it loses no time in coming to it's rescue, and not infrequently to it's own destruction.
 So perfectly can the yelp of the wild turkey be initiated that even wild anil malls are often deceived thereby. One old sportsman relates a most amazing tale of this kind. He was stationed at the foot of a large tree on t'te crest of a hill one morning endeavoring to call from their roasting place some tur- keys which he had seen in that neigh borhood late on the evening before. Just in front of him and not more than three feet away was a clump of grass which served as a screen, and a gentle breeze blew in his face. His position was perfect and he felt confident of getting turkey
 His rule was never to move under any circumstances after taking posi- ton and beginning to call. It was very early and bit hay, so that ob- jects could not be discerned with clear, ness at any great distance. He had in getting the birds to an- swer him from their roasting place, and like a stone image he waited for their coming, when suddenly over the top of the grass screen flashed a 1.-the, red body and two rows of sharp, white teeth closed with a vicious snap on the