526 
FOREST AND STREAM 
November, 1917 
THE GREAT AMERICAN GAME BIRD 
A MASTER OF TURKEY HUNTING IN A FLORIDA SWAMP. WHERE HUNTERS 
TRAIL WITH DOGS AND OCCASIONALLY A BUNCH OF LITTLE PIGS 
By OSCEOLA 
T HIS will be a yarn of Turkeys with 
perhaps some other matters inter¬ 
spersed, for it is not often one gets 
out into our river swamps a-hunting with¬ 
out noting something of interest if it be 
only a mighty old Cypress tree or a con¬ 
cert of melodious Swamp Owls. 
The three of us had a half holiday, and 
Turkeys always seem to come first in our 
minds under such conditions. Fannie was 
rearing a small family, but they were now 
old enough for her to leave for awhile and 
we had her along. She found us a small 
bunch of Quail as we went out towards 
Boggy Branch, but as our time would be 
rather limited we did not follow them up 
very closely and took only small toll. 
The ground had dried up considerably 
during the preceding week; and while the 
branches were still running a good deal of 
water, the open 
woods were com¬ 
paratively dry 
and traveling in 
the wooded river 
swamp was for 
the most part 
good, and no dry 
leaves to rattle. 
The continued 
mild weather had 
brought out the 
buds on a few 
Soft Maples in 
sheltered places 
and we found 
blossoms dropped 
from some Pines 
showing that 
springtime was 
approaching even 
though it was 
not yet quite 
midwinter. Car¬ 
dinals chipped 
sharply from the 
thicker cover 
and up the 
Branch high 
overhead we 
could hear the clear bold call of a 
“Chicken Hawk”—Florida Red-shouldered 
—as he circled about in search of some 
dainty for a lunch. These Hawks are 
quite numerous throughout our section, 
their common name a misnomer for the 
most part, as their food consists largely of 
mice, rats, snakes and grasshoppers. 
W E walked about two and a half 
miles by the road and then enter¬ 
ing the river swamp let Fannie 
range for trail of the birds. We found 
no fresh sign and went on across the open 
road and finally crossed the Big Branch 
and entered the Upper Swamp which had 
been our anticipated goal. Here we had 
for the most part rather open woods, heavy 
Pine and considerable Live Oak and Sweet 
Gum—Liquid-ambar—back from the river 
with many Cabbage Palmettos interspersed. 
Now we began to see a few places where 
the birds had been scratching, but none 
real fresh. We had not spread out much 
since crossing the muddy flat bordering the 
Branch ; Tom had the center, Frank to his 
left and I was on the right. Suddenly we 
saw Fannie stop about 30 yards in advance, 
but she did not come to a stiff point and 
I think we all took it for granted there v 
was probably a rabbit crouched somewhere 
near. No doubt the dog had not fairly 
scented the game, and we walked on not 
thinking of a shot. The woods were quite 
open except for a small bunch of some 
grassy tuff's and perhaps a clump of bushes. 
A LL of a sudden Tom tossed up his 
gun and glancing ahead I saw a 
Turkey run two or three steps and 
take wing. Tom fired at pretty close 
range; I followed a second or two later 
and Frank ended the volley, albeit I con¬ 
tinue to maintain that one of the other 
twain fired two shots but neither would 
ever admit this to be true. 
The bird swung off to the right through 
the tree-tops while Fannie rushed off and 
then returned, not understanding the per¬ 
formance and no doubt much disgusted 
with the result. Frank declared his was a 
long shot; Tom made out the bird went 
behind a tree as he shot and if it had only 
stayed on the ground “a minute longer” he 
would have had it. He is an awful pot¬ 
hunter anyhow and we never tire of de¬ 
riding him for such unsportsmanlike acts. 
The other member of the missing trio tried 
to think quickly of some good excuse, but 
failing in that declared all were equally 
guilty and didn’t deserve any more shots 
that day; the facts, of course, were that 
none thought of game in such a place so 
close at hand and in the startled confu¬ 
sion the shooting was too hurried and 
careless. We did not even follow after 
that bird and try to find her in a tree; 
we felt we had seen enough of her and 
that she could go her way without further 
molestation for that day at any rate. 
Just why she had tried to hide instead 
of running off we could not determine to 
our satisfaction; possibly the dog had in¬ 
tercepted her intended line of retreat and 
we followed so closely that she had ex¬ 
pected to escape by concealment. Tom 
said he saw only her head and neck up 
out of the grass until she sprung clear 
too quickly for his sure (pot) shot. 
RANK now 
took the 
dog and 
went up the bor¬ 
der of the low 
river bottom 
while Tom and 
I kept farther 
back hoping 
Fannie would 
flush and give us 
a chance. We 
saw nothing 
more of Frank 
and the dog un¬ 
til we finally 
reached home 
In the course 
of an hour or 
more we hunted 
the higher parts 
of the woods, 
seeing much 
sign, a little of 
which was fresh, 
but found no 
birds. Finally 
getting over to- 
wards the 
Branch we set¬ 
tled at the foot of an immense old Pine 
and here Tom decided to call. 
He did not fancy the tone of the bone 
he first tried and I passed him one 
that I carried “for luck,” I told him, 
but he said it was worse than his; 
both were from the wings of old gobblers 
and rather coarse. At intervals he sent 
forth his most beseeching notes, but they 
were in vain; it was not his day. 
The wind was blowing quite a gale and 
we knew the chances were poor for any¬ 
thing hearing or coming our way. We 
had made no blind, but backed up to the 
bole of the old tree with open woods all 
about us. Overhead the tree-tops met in 
close shade; Pine, Oak, Palmetto. Sweet 
Gum, Ash and Persimmon, with Cypress 
just below us towards the Branch. Over 
that way a pair of big “Logcock”—Pileated 
