338 BULLETIN 162, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



the box or trough call, the splinter and slate, or a new clay pipe; 

 but the commonest and most effective call is made from the wing 

 bone of a hen turkey. The hunter must know how to use these 

 perfectly, for a false note will drive the turkey away, perhaps never 

 to return. He must also be able to keep perfectly still for a long 

 time, with his gun, or rifle, trained on the spot where he expects the 

 turkey to appear, for the slightest visible movement would spoil his 

 chance. He would better be well concealed, but success may be had, 

 even if he is in plain sight, if seated against a stump or tree large 

 enough to conceal the outline of his body. As to the use of the calls, 

 he had better study the various seductive notes of the hen, the 

 turkey language, or, better still, learn them from an experienced 

 hunter. 



Tracking turkeys in the snow on a clear cold winter day is splen- 

 did sport. It has been well described by Edwyn Sandys (1904). 

 In following a flock of turkeys a single track may turn off to one 

 side ; this means a tired bird, which will soon crouch to rest. If he 

 carries a shotgun, the hunter should follow this bird, for he will 

 soon flush it and get a flying shot. But, if carrying a rifle, he should 

 follow the main flock ; sooner or later he will get a long shot at some 

 of them, though it may be a long chase unless the snow is soft and 

 deep. Should the birds take wing they will fly in a straight line, 

 indicated by the direction of the long steps taken in rising, and 

 the trail can be taken up again. 



Coursing turkeys with greyhounds, as practiced in the more open 

 western country is exciting sport. It is also vividly described by 

 Sandys (1904). The hunter on horseback, accompanied by a good 

 greyhound, finds his turkeys feeding out on an open plain and tries 

 to flush one headed for the open. The turkey's first flight is his 

 longest, hotly pursued by dog, horse, and man. If the bird comes 

 down and tries to run, he is soon overtaken. His flights and runs 

 gradually grow shorter and shorter, until he becomes exhausted and 

 is caught. 



Well-trained turkey dogs are useful in chasing winged birds, 

 which a man could never catch. Audubon (1840) says: 



Good dogs scent the turkeys when in large flocks at a great distance; I 

 may venture to say half a mile away, if the wind is right. Should the dog 

 be well trained to the sport, he will set off at full speed on getting the scent 

 and in silence until he sees the birds, when he instantly barks, and, running 

 among them, forces the whole flock to take to the trees in different directions. 

 This is of great advantage to the hunter, for, should all the turkeys go one 

 way, they would soon leave the perches and run again; but when they are 

 separated by the dog, a person accustomed to the sport finds the birds easily 

 and shoots them at pleasure. 



