150 THE WILD TURKEY AND ITS HUNTING 



what is going on around them; even if over dry 

 land they will often remain in the trees half a 

 day eating buds, if other food is scarce, and when 

 tired or satiated they will sit calmly on some 

 large limb and go to sleep or preen their feathers. 

 This is one of the best opportunities afforded the 

 crafty hunter with his good rifle to steal up be- 

 hind a tree and deliberately drop one, as at this 

 time the leaves are too small to afford much cover, 

 and the turkeys are exposed to open view, giving 

 the prettiest shots imaginable for the rifle. While 

 this is one of the most successful and easiest ways 

 of securing turkeys, there are few hunters who 

 know enough about it to take advantage of 

 it. Persons will often pass under trees in a tur- 

 key locality, when suddenly one or more turkeys 

 will fly out. The hunter looks up, but sees only 

 the turkeys on the wing, and cannot understand 

 why they were in the trees at that time of day, 

 as he has not flushed any. He wonders how 

 they came to be there and does not know they 

 were up there budding, having probably been 

 there all the morning. 



The budding season lasts but a short time, if 



