176 THE WILD TURKEY AND ITS HUNTING 



to break up his loneliness and secure the society 

 of his mates. Turkeys do not mate in pairs, they 

 are polygamous, loving many wives. 



I wish to direct attention to the common and 

 erroneous belief, even among expert turkey 

 hunters, that it is the call-note of the hen that 

 brings the sexes together. This is incorrect. 

 It is the call of the male. It was after years of 

 study that I discovered this fact, which, once 

 plain to my mind, assured my success as a tur- 

 key hunter. I found that the gobbler was doing 

 the same thing I was doing; I was struggling with 

 all my ability and tact to draw him out, while 

 he was playing the same game on me; it was a 

 question of who had the greater patience. If I 

 remained and insisted on his approach, he would 

 yield and come to me. Here is his customary 

 method : At the very break of day, the weather 

 being favorable, he begins to gobble in the tree 

 in which he is roosting. The gobbling is pro- 

 duced at very irregular intervals, sometimes 

 with long, silent spaces between, at others in 

 rapid succession. Some turkeys gobble a great 

 deal more than others. Some will gobble but 



