224 THE WILD TURKEY AND ITS HUNTING 



This is excellent and exciting sport, and the 

 dog loves it and soon becomes an expert in the 

 chase. But of all methods of hunting the tur- 

 key it is the most disastrous, next to baiting, not 

 so much in the number of birds killed, but the tur- 

 key has a great dread of a dog, and if too fre- 

 quently chased by one it will drive the birds 

 out of the locality. It should seldom be prac- 

 tised in the same locality or upon the same flock 

 of turkeys more than once in a season. 



The rifle is preeminently the gun to employ in 

 this method of hunting, and there is a great sat- 

 isfaction in taking a fine bird from its lofty perch 

 in a tall pine, gum, or cypress at one hundred to 

 one hundred and fifty yards, where it would be 

 safe from any shotgun. 



Dogs trained to hunt turkeys must not be al- 

 lowed to run squirrels, hares, deer, or any wood- 

 land game. It makes no difference as to quail or 

 prairie game, but in the timber his work belongs 

 to the turkey alone. 



In teaching the young dog to grasp a turkey, 

 it should be trained to seize the bird by the neck 

 every time, and not touch the body, as his teeth 



