WILD TURKEY. 233 



about getting to bed as a spoiled child. The wild 

 turkey runs with great celerity, and, when much hunted, 

 learns to put as much space as possible between himself 

 and his pursuer in as short time and with as little noise 

 as can be. 



All his senses are exquisite, and in sense of smell 

 he is scarcely excelled by the elk. When, therefore, this 

 game is wild it requires no little skill to bag him 

 without a dog specially trained. The hunter' must work 

 on foot against the wind, cautiously pushing his way 

 without noise. If he is discovered either by hearing, 

 sight, or smell, the turkeys silently disappear in the 

 cover, and the hunter only knows of their vicinity by 

 seeing their tracks. If, however, he succeeds in ap- 

 proaching, undiscovered, near enough for a shot, the 

 explosion of the gun throws them into a panic, of which 

 the knowing hunter will take the fullest advantage, 

 Some will fly up and alight in the branches of the 

 nearest trees ; some will squat where they are in any 

 little cover that promises protection ; others, again, will fly 

 to a distance, alight, and squat in the grass or bushes. 

 The hunter marks these latter carefully, certain that they 

 will not stir from their hiding places until they think all 

 danger is over. Those in the trees first claim his atten- 

 tion, as they are likely to fly at any moment, and, having 

 now seen him and realised the nature of the danger, 

 will probably go a long distance. One or at most two 

 shots is all he can hope for at these. The ground should 

 then be carefully gone over to find any which may have 

 squatted on the first alarm, and finally he proceeds to 

 pick up those which have taken to cover, and from which 

 he has the right to expect his best return. A flock 

 of twenty or thirty birds under such circumstances ought 

 to yield six or eight to a good hunter ; early in the season, 

 and with young birds, even more. When a flock is 

 caught on the prairie and frightened, they will run 

 to the nearest ravine, in the breaks of which many 



