228 THE WILD TURKEY AND ITS HUNTING 



the bullet; clamping the lead tightly on the lash. 

 Thus armed, they pursue the turkeys until they 

 drop their wings, when, dashing among them, 

 they strike the neck of the turkey with the lash, 

 a foot from the end of the tip, which sends the bul- 

 let whizzing around the neck four to six times; 

 and ere the turkey can recover, the cowboy dis- 

 mounts and secures it, 



If there is snow on the ground there is little 

 trouble in following the turkeys by their tracks. 

 I have done but little of such hunting, as sufficient 

 snow seldom falls in the South to make good 

 tracking. When you hunt turkeys on the snow, 

 all there is to do is to find their tracks and follow 

 them carefully until the birds are seen; then ob- 

 serve the same tactics as in stalking them on the 

 bare earth. 



In the South they are unprepared for much 

 cold, and at such times will likely be found 

 grouped together on the sunny slopes of hills, 

 or behind some log or fence, to avoid the bitter 

 winds, especially if the sun is not shining. They 

 will then often remain on their roosts half a day 

 rather than alight on the cold snow. 



