000 Procred'nif/s of Ind'HUia Acadctuij of Hcicnrr. 



70. Meleagris gallopavo silvestris Vieillot. wild turkey. (310a) 



In the early part of the nineteenth century and up, perhaps to about 1860, 

 this magnificent bird, tlie greatest of all American game birds, was not un- 

 common throughout all the heavily wooded portions of Indiana. They wei'e 

 especially abundant in the wonderful hardwood forests of the Wabash 

 basin. 



In Monroe County, it was doubtless very common at one time and a few 

 might be found in the wilder parts of the county as late as 1SS(>. if not 

 later. 



In Vigo County in 1886 to 1891, it was very rare, if present at all. but 

 each winter one or more specimens might be seen in the Terre Haute market. 



1 saw at least six during those years, and was told that they came from 

 the neighborhood of the old reservoir in the southeastern corner of Vigo 

 County. 



In Carroll County they were rather common as late as 18G4. and frequent 

 up to 1870. The last ones I remember to have actually seen in Carroll 

 County I saw in the woodland on the Stockton farm only a few rods from 

 my father's house, in the winter of 1871-2. In the winter of 1877-8, a small 

 flock was reported as having been seen several times in or about the heavy 

 woods a mile south of Camden, and in February of that winter I saw their 

 ti'acks in the snow on the Al Rhodes farm near the large forest on the 

 Wise farm. 



During my boyhood days wild turkey hunting was one of the great siwrts 

 in which local Nimrods engaged. Every one who at all enjoyed the sport 

 was quite sure to go turkey hunting at least once each winter. Every 

 hunter had a "turkey call" which he had made from the wing bone of a 

 turkey which he had killed on some previous hunting trip ; and right 

 expert did these men and boys become in immitating the turkey's call- 

 note. The long muzzle-loader rifle was the gun used and the hunting was 

 done in a real sportsman-like way. By means of the "call" the turkey 

 could usually be induced to come within reasonable range. As they were 

 easily frightened, the hunter usuallj' fired as soon as the bird came within 

 range, and only those who were pretty good shots were successful in get- 

 ting the bird. 



Another method by which Wild Turkeys were taken was wluilly unsports- 

 man-like, albeit quite effective. This was by means of a trap anCi was prac- 

 ticed when the ground was covered with snow. A square pen was built of or- 

 dinary fence rails, thus making the pen a little less than 10 feet square and 

 about eight rails high. The pen was covered over the top with rails or 

 boards. A trench was dug, extending from inside the pen under one side 

 and some feet outside, deepest under the rail and decreasing in depth out- 

 side. Corn was then scattered outside the pen in such a way as to lead the 

 turkeys into the trench and into the pen. When the turkeys found the corn 

 they would continue feeding on it, their heads near the ground, iiassing 

 along the trench until in the pen, when they would become frightened. 

 Then, with heads up. they woiild walk around next to the rails, a broad 

 board laid over the trench just inside the pen keeping them from stepping 

 into the trench and finding their way out. It was not an iniusual thing to 

 capture an entire flock in this way. 



