TURKEY SHOOTING 425 



To be a successful turkey hunter one must know his 

 country and conditions, for unless the ground be cov- 

 ered with snow, and the pea crop has been a late one, 

 the birds keep to the woods, where they are not easily 

 seen in the tangle of hazel and blackberry. 



Plenty of turkeys means a good crop of mast, for 

 in autumn the chief food of the bird is the acorn, and 

 the feeding grounds of the bird will be where the sup- 

 ply of acorns is greatest. If the crop fails in the 

 swamps, most of the birds move into the rough hill 

 country, for when the mast fails in the lowlands the 

 hills are likely to have a very good crop, and a 

 failure in the hills means an abundant harvest of acorns 

 in the swamp. To find where the birds feed, however, 

 is not to get your game, or even to see it. Often the 

 scattered birds may be easily called up, but on the other 

 hand, some flocks of young birds refuse to respond to 

 the call. 



To stalk the turkey requires more care and skill 

 than to stalk the deer, and he who is successful in this 

 description of hunting may congratulate himself. On 

 the other hand, one may often blunder on turkeys 

 without special effort, and may believe that he has 

 mastered the art of turkey hunting; while the very 

 next day he may not be able to get within long range 

 of his game. Sometimes it is possible to walk close 

 up to turkeys, so that one wonders if he has not fallen 

 upon a flock of domestic birds. 



As turkeys commonly roost over a water-course, or 

 slough, as protection from danger, it is sometimes pos- 



