336 Proceedings of Indiana Academy of Science. 
70. MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO SILVESTRIS Vieillot. Wi~p TURKEY. (310a) 
In the early part of the nineteenth century and up, perhaps to about 1860, 
this magnificent bird, the greatest of all American game birds, was not un- 
common throughout all the heavily wooded portions of Indiana. They were 
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 1SS6, 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. 
I 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 1864, 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 
tracks 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 sports 
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 usually 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 wholly unsports- 
man-like, albeit quite effective. This was by means of a trap and 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. passing 
along the trench until in the pen, when they would become frightened. 
Then, with heads up, they would 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 unusual thing to 
capture an entire flock in this way. 
