TURKEY HUNTING. 



15 



located a flock about noon, that answered 

 his call. At the first shot we killed a fine 

 gobbler. We then broke and scattered 

 them, made our blinds, and in about 2 

 hours had each killed 2 more, when, not 

 being game hogs and having all we wanted 

 for the table, we stopped. I found that 3 

 wild turkeys, aggregating about 50 pounds, 

 were all I wanted to have hanging on my 

 shoulders, with several miles to walk back 

 to headquarters. 



The call of a wild turkey trying to find 

 his mates is hard to describe by a word 

 but it is similar to — y-o-u-p — youp-youp- 

 youp — with a rising inflection to each note. 

 Many contrivances have been invented 

 with which to imitate the quality of tone 

 and the pitch of a turkey's call, but I 

 have seen none for sale that were of any 

 value. The one most commonly in use 

 is the bone yelper, made from the large 

 and small wing bones. The suction of the 

 lips is used with this to produce the right 

 tone. Some use this yelper with skill and 

 success, but on a cold day when the fing- 

 ers are numb and do not regulate the de- 

 livery and volume of tone well, and the 

 lips cannot be controlled to exactly the 

 right pucker and suction, the hunter is 

 likely to sound a false note, which is near- 

 ly always a fatal mistake, for with their 

 keen sense of hearing the birds are almost 

 certain to spot that would-be turkey in 

 the blind as a fraud and to seek another 

 place for a family reunion. The wild tur- 

 key readily distinguishes a false from a 

 natural call and they evidently have some 

 code of call signals, or tone inflections, by 

 which they come together, warn of danger 

 and apparently talk to one another. On a 

 recent hunt our party had scattered a 

 flock of turkeys, the larger ones going to 

 some big timber and the others into the 

 brush. We made our blinds between 

 them, and my companion, an olcl turkey 

 hunter, began calling, using a bone yelper. 



The birds soon began coming to us from 

 different directions, when unfortunately he 

 made a false note — just one little fault, but 

 plain enough for the old hen to detect it. 

 She flew up in a tree in plain sight, but out 

 of range, and nearly shook her head off 



with a warning call of clut-clut — clut-clut — 

 clut-clut-clut, etc., etc. The effect was to 

 make the other birds all circle around, out 

 of range, and go to her. Having accom- 

 plished this feat of generalship, she flew 

 away with the rest of her family and re- 

 lations. 



On another occasion I scared a flock 

 out of a cornfield into the woods, scatter- 

 ing them, made my blind and began call- 

 ing. In due time I had them coming, 

 when I made one little break in tone, and 

 the old hen began at once to call off; too 

 late, however, that time, to save one of her 

 brood, a well grown, fat hen that I took 

 home with me and that, when dressed, 

 weighed 13 pounds. 



A few days previous, when out with a 

 party, we found turkeys, and were fortu- 

 nate in killing the old hen at the first shot. 

 With the aid of my yelper 3 more fine 

 birds were killed. The yelper used on that 

 occasion was not a mouth yelper, but a 

 contrivance that I have been experiment- 

 ing with and trying to perfect for some 

 time. I believe I have at last succeeded, as 

 I imitate exactly, and to the entire approv- 

 al of the most critical old hunters, every 

 call, with inflection of tone and pitch, that 

 the wild turkey makes, with the exception 

 of the gobble and the whistle call, which 

 every turkey hunter knows how to make 

 with his lips. 



I suppose that to many of your readers 

 what I have written will be an old story, 

 as I have no reason to believe this method 

 of turkey hunting is confined to or fol- 

 lowed only in this section of the country. 



I think, however, it affords as much real 

 sport as shivering on a deer stand on a 

 frosty morning while waiting for a big 

 buck, that usually goes out some other 

 way, or lying in a float box watching for 

 ducks that come only semi-occasionally. 



A good, healthy jaunt through the woods 

 in preference, for me, every time, seeking 

 game either by signs or call. If I don't 

 find it, there is no law to prevent my 

 bringing back other smaller game that 

 will be almost as acceptable on the table 

 or for replenishing the camp larder. 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY MRS. L. R. VAN HOUTEN. 



A LEADING QUESTION. 



