802 
FOREST AND STf^^EAM. 
[Dec. 27, 1902. 
For Christmas Week. 
Photographing the "Wild Turkey." 
BY CHARLES L. JORDAN. 
The average reader, contemplating illustrations 'iii 
the magazine he is glancing over, little considers the 
cost to the author or producer in time, study, craft, 
discomfort and worry to obtain and produce; bat let 
him try it! 
When the naturalist-amateur photographer enters 
ihe wilderness, far from man's busy habitat, to secure, 
by aid of camera, that which under other conditions 
were impossible — faithful portraits of living , wild 
fauna, of whatever name or character, be it mammal, 
fowl, reptile or fish — he undertakes one of the mosr 
, arduous and often exasperating tasks. 
Many of the half-tone photographic reproductions, 
purporting to be representations of sundry varieties 
of animal life, or death, and thus exploited, are snap- 
• shotted in parks, zoos, private preserves, or other 
prison affairs, and foisted upon the credulous reader as 
taken from the wild, free life in the native \vood. Oth- 
ers from stuffed examples posing in museums — or 
possibly from live, tamed specimens tied in the brush 
' or confined in cages, greatly to the detriment of . the 
hard-worked naturalist who labors for facts, the honest 
way. 
Such work as described involves about as much skill 
as exposing a plate on an tmsuspecting calf . in a barn- 
yard, or a negro eating a \v:Uermelon. requiring no 
more thought or tact; but, is obtaining valuable and 
instructive portraits oi Avild animals in -their- miham- 
pered freedom so easy? Try it! 
Try wild turkeys in their native haunts; try whoop- 
ing cranes, herons, bald eagles,, goshawks^ wild deer, 
TWO HENS ON A HOT MAY DAY. 
panther, wolf or the bay-lynx (wildcat) with his keen 
eyes and infallible nose, while marauding for hares. 
Try the razor-back wild hog of southern swamps and 
cane-brakes, whose keen scent will detect you a half 
mile; likewise try the dreamy alligator as he dozes 
on a slimy log or stalks a little nigger for his noon- 
day meal. Try the fish fauna sporting in their native 
pickle, the water, with eyes and actions quick as the 
lightning's flash. 
All these tax the geniu'is- bi tlie most skilled and 
learned of men and methods. ^ No bungler need at- 
tempt; but it's of turkeys, wild, untrammeled exam- 
ples of that race I have now to speak. Three years 
since I was severely criticised on some free-hand illus- 
trations in a certain magazine as to alleged defects, 
the subjects being wild turkeys, and the text raided 
with attempt to wreck. 
Keeping temper, however, giving little attention to 
the unwarranted attack, I determined one day to 
.even up with the self-posed cynic by producing some- 
thing that should be above the pale of suspicion and 
hevond the reach of .smart .Alecs and meddling para- 
sites, and what lie could not accomplish in a thousand 
years. 
T bought a camera. 
Then my soliloquy ran — "I'll get in my graft by 
taking wild turkeys on glass plates, if it takes the rest 
of time; and, hence, ordered a plain box, universal 
focus — i2-to-the-minute cyclone affair — ^with the solace 
of being equipped to tackle all kinds of photographic 
matter ; but, ere long, discovered I knew more of 
other things than cameras ; as a consequence, the usual 
trouble and blunders of the novice — I know better, 
now. 
It was in 1878 when my first attempt was made, be- 
ing permitted to enter the Homochitto Hills, in the 
-State of Missouri, one of the grandest wild turkey regions 
in the South, in quest of the coveted portraits of that 
tribe, and to hunt and fish on the noble and bounding 
Homochitto River. 
It was at the home of an elderly Swedish gentleman 
and ])lanter that I had been advised to stop and linger, 
nor have I since regretted it. His name is Jensen, 
than whom a nobler spirit does not exist — one of 
God's best efforts. He greeted me a cordial welcome, 
and carte-blanc to all in sight. One of the best ap- 
pointed and most comfortable rooms in the old man- 
sion was pointed out to me as my den. It was one of 
tfjf! old J^ffersofi Pg,vis plantations, m id^a-l, ante- 
bellum. Southern home, with its pecuHar and quaint 
surroundings so vividly characteristic of the familiar 
erstwhile. Great oaks, hickory, pecan, beech, holly, 
magnolia, breathing and palpitating with swarms of 
bird life. 
The Baltimore oriole with their hanging nest and 
the bluejay that pillaged them of their young — then 
the broAvn thrush, mocking-bird, jack-daw, shrike and 
the rest, doing nothing but making nests and promot- 
ing din; while the fiowering-mimasa, sweet olive, crab- 
apple and cape-jasniinc filled the air for miles around 
with delicious, intoxicating odors. All this supple- 
OLD GOBBLERS AND ONE-YEAR-OLD. 
nienicd by droves of ubiquitous little "niygers," who 
lead up slowly to strangers in stupid wonder and 
nnive curiosity; likewise doing nothing, by the aid ui 
each other, but laugh, grin, yell corn songs, suck their 
fingers, roll in the dust or swing on the gates. 
Here was Audubon's favorite haunt to study orni- 
thology and hunt game, of which the country 
abounded. Here he obtained the live gobbler he 
reared and petted and loved so Avell and mentions so 
patlieticalli' in his great work oa American birds; and 
w'.'pt when the hunter (on the Oiiio River), through 
mistake, killed the great bird and brought to Audu- 
Ijon the dead body. 
Here, amid these ^vouderful hills and narrow val- 
leys, 1 spent months stalking, crawling, calling — en- 
deavoring to induce the festive, timid, tricky lynx- 
eyed gobbler to approach and pose. Did I succeed? 
'1 ;u<e M view of ''Cripple Dick," the "Evening Meul,'' etc., 
and ihere''^ your ans>*er. 
The sobriquet of Cripple Dick was furnished me by 
the negroes on the place, due to a limp in his walk, 
as I had several times noticed while calling him, as 
. he strutted, gobbled and coquetted with me beyond the 
reach of the camera, for a satisfactory exposure. 
See that left leg? Seems shorter than its mate? So 
it is — an inch, and that's v/hy he was so infernally wild. 
Let a stick crack, a bird flit across his visiottj a squir- 
rel drop a nut, he's gone! And why fate so decreed 
that I must cross lances with this crippled-up, oft- 
shotted, nervous, wary old reprobate in place of an 
easier and more plastic subject was a mystery to me. 
Of all the unreasonably, uncompromisingly wild things 
this individual excelled. He was wary and cautious 
ONE OF THE WILDEST OF THEM ALU 
beyond measure, but he had a right(?) Once I had 
him baited with grain, to tempt him to appear near 
and pose, and was almost successful when some neg- 
roes passed in sight on their way to work, frighten- 
ing him away. Then it was two weeks, I had him 
coming to call, gobbling and strutting, the camera 
resting on a fallen log, masked with bush and green 
leaves, and I was doubiy sure, but fate steps in again 
just as he was turning a corner of timber in the open 
field — ^in full strut — when, bang! came the report of a 
big gbptgun or a nigger's zuIu— an4 s?ttk4 it 
forever with him, as I thought — and I am balkeii 
again; but in two weeks more I discovered him onc( 
more; this time on a range of hills of birch, magnolij 
and pin-oak timber and switch-cane, gobbling as vigj 
orously as ever, and there hunted him still, two week; 
more, daily, from day break until 10 A. M, Surehi 
Ins was a charmed life. 
Sometirnes I had him within thirty paces strutting 
and gobbling, when he would suddenly, without provo 
eation, drop his dress and nonchalantly and sereneb 
walk awaj-; then, with grim disgust and abiding forti 
tude, I did the same — homeward. 
But my time came one Friday morning when then 
was nothing to molest, and the photo of Cripph 
Dick was the result. Wait a moment and get tin 
story! 
Ere it was daylight I got in an old hollow stump' 
ivit an antiqtte shell, with low switch-cane around 
He began to gobble at the first rosy tint of day, am 
when he had flown down from roost, I proceeded tc- 
invite his presence by appropriate calls to my im 
promptu studio, receiving in turn vigorous and favor 
able response, but putting in no appearance as yet 
Now a long and provoking silence ensued. Hear 
ing nothing of him in two hours, I apprehended 
fright, but being in the turkey business and studying 
all of life, was no novice to their tricks,, hence waite( 
his pleasure. 
Should 1 cough or sneeze, the opera would be ove, 
and the music done. Patience. He has had a lej 
broken by shot ; his beard clipped by a rifle ball 
hence not eligible as yet. I waited until the sun ha( 
crept in on me and was baking me to a crust, Th( 
birds had_ quit their din of song, the cow-bells lia^ 
ceased to jingle, and all nature seemed in silent repose 
1 had taken my hands from the camera, while it reste( 
in a niche in the old stump, entirely masked, save th* 
lens, with moss and leaves, except a small opening 01 
one side, to peer through. My position there wa; 
taken at half-past 4 A. M. It was now 10, and I won 
UNSUSPICIOUS. 
out and hungry. When at the very acme oi despan 
as the novelist would say, gil-oggle! obble! obblei 
rang out within twenty feet of me. Gee! It took my 
breath, so sudden and unexpected, nor had I the least 
idea the direction he was, but slowly and noiselessly 
slipped m}' hands to the camera — one to hold it firmly) 
the other to engage the button. 
Peering with extreme caution through the little 
opening at the left side of the box, I could see noth- 
ing of him, but could hear the soft rustle of the can; 
leaves on his feathers as he moved stealthily by. Then 
.] knew he was within 4 or 5 feet of me. Now I saw 
the end of his beak and the tip of his long beard, as 
it vibrated nervously from his breathing. That was all 
I ever saw of him, but knowing he was in range or 
scope of the lens, pressed the button. 
That Avas all he saw or heard, but in the half second 
was passing over the tops of the pine trees 100 yard." 
away, in glorious flight, yet, surely his memory and 
image were left indelibly on the plate. Being satis- 
fied the impression was all right, as he was in the 
bright snn at the time, and believing the negative a 
good one, I gave tip the hunt for him altogether. 
From his position in the picture he must have been 
very near me while passing, as he was not beyond 8 
feet when the exposure was made. He was a grand 
old bird with a gorgeous plumage and long, fine beard. 
Three days afterward Dr. Casey killed him, and I savf 
him dead — ^with regret — and photographed him prone. 
This was. briefly, the history, posing, taking and death 
of "Cripple Dick," and, although spending all that sea- 
son on the Homochitto trying to photograph these 
wary fowl, that was the only male I secured; however,' 
several females (hens) were taken, but at too great 
range to get sufficient detail of plumage. 
Not satisfied as yet, I determined to go elsewhere^ 
spending the next season in like quest, in the State 
of Alabama in vicinity of the swamps and pine hills 
contiguous to the Tom Bigbee River, in the effort to 
succeed. There my hopes were fully realized; the re- 
sult of which placed me in possession of a liberal col- 
lection of the finest in the world, which are now in 
enlarged bromides 14x17 inches. 
A few of these, as examples, I am allowing to be 
published for illustrating this text. 
That the reader might know how faithfully I worked, 
and what I endured to get these photographs, will 
say: I began in November, 1899, as soon as the' 
young broods were nearly grown, and quit in May, , 
Not a day, s^v? One, wHen ^. thvnd^'^ ^^^^ 5toftT\ 
