The Wild Turkey 275 



ment, very fair yelping resulted, and a prompt 

 response added to his wonder. To be candid, 

 the note was off,-a bit too dull and heavy, but the 

 birds were young and anxious to go to roost, so it 

 did not greatly matter. Just when the darkness 

 was closing, my friend got an easy chance and 

 knocked over a couple of two-thirds grown birds, 

 the second of which he did not see when he fired. 

 A few moments later I got — a smoke ! for there 

 was no earthly use in further calling after the row 

 his gun had raised. The experiment, however, 

 had its value, for it revealed the unsuspected fact 

 that young scattered turkeys would respond to an 

 imitation of the hen's yelp, and the information 

 proved useful later on. 



The more common spring calling is an appeal 

 to the passion of the male. Some sportsmen 

 object to it on the ground that it is taking a mean 

 advantage of the amorous gobbler. They argue 

 that to sing the siren song of love until the hot- 

 headed lover is lured within a few yards is, to say 

 the least, questionable ; but with all due respect 

 to them, I claim that this calling has its redeem- 

 ing features. Fairly considered, it is no mean 

 test of one's knowledge of turkey ways and skill 

 in conversing in the turkish tongue, for where 

 birds are educated no duffer can succeed at it. 

 He may elicit responses a plenty, but the odds are 

 that the gobbler will detect the cheat before he has 



