33 2 Sporting Sketches 



in his forest ranges. Wild and shy to a de- 

 gree, keen sighted, quick eared, swift of foot, and 

 strong of wing when needs be, he is also sharply 

 suspicious of a man on foot, and quite as difficult to 

 "still-hunt" as a deer. Generally ranging in heavy 

 forest, and within easy reach of tangled scrub or 

 other baffling cover, no sooner does he suspect 

 danger than his long legs bear him swiftly to the 

 densest growth he can find, through which a man 

 may track him for hours without either obtaining a 

 shot or forcing him to take wing, and frequently the 

 bird will not even be seen. 



The principles of good sportsmanship admit of 

 the wild turkey being taken by several methods. 

 One of these is shooting the birds when roosting 

 in tall timber at night. All that is necessary is 

 first to locate the "roost," then to steal upon the 

 unsuspecting game and shoot as many as possible 

 before the turkeys realize what is going on and 

 leave the unhealthy neighborhood. A second 

 method is "calling," or "yelping." The sports- 

 man uses a bone from a turkey's wing as a " caller," 

 and by sucking air through this bone in the proper 

 fashion an exact imitation of the " yelp " of the bird 

 is produced. An ordinary clay pipe also makes an 

 excellent caller. This method may be followed with 

 deadly effect either after a flock has been scattered 

 or, as is done in the South, while the gobblers are 

 "strutting," in which case a good imitation of the 

 cry of a lovelorn hen will lure the male to his 

 destruction. 



Still another method, the most- dashing and excit- 

 ing sport of all, is coursing the birds with greyhounds. 



