WILD TURKEY AND DEER SHOOTING. 225 



and feeds in the corn and wheat fields in the fall, 

 and many broods are sometimes seen together in a 

 pack a hundred strong, led by old gobblers. In 

 the beech and maple woods it feeds upon beech- 

 nuts with great relish, and, indeed, its principal 

 food in winter is the berries of the bushes and 

 the " mast " of various trees. The wild turkey, 

 though so gregarious, is shy and a wary, fast- 

 running bird, hardly ever taking to the wing if 

 it can avoid doing so. When closely pursued by 

 a dog or impeded by deep snow, it is com- 

 pelled to flight. 



It is found in Illinois in the timber and thick 

 brush to be met with on the banks of rivers and 

 creeks. The wild turkeys used to be very numer- 

 ous in and about the bottoms of the Sangamon 

 River. I have killed a great many there myself, 

 one of which was a famous gobbler of twenty- 

 seven pounds weight and magnificent plumage. 

 They are now scarce, difficult to find, and hard tq 

 kill. Following turkeys on their tracks in snow, 

 which has been my usual method of hunting them, 

 is hard work. In the great woods of the forest 

 countries the favorite method is to find the flock, 

 scatter it all around by means of a dog, and 

 then in ambush imitate the call of the turkeys 



