104 
FOREST AND STREAM 
February, 1918 
H. W. B., Washington, D. C.: 
I am anxious to know how to make 
from turkey wing bones or other material 
such an instrument as is used by woods¬ 
men in calling wild turkeys. I know that 
the wild turkey is a wise bird and I know 
that certain precautions are necessary in 
hunting him, and certain signs need to be 
looked for in locating him, and I want to 
post myself alon'g these lines. 
If your splendid magazine will publish 
the information I desire, I will appre¬ 
ciate the favor. 
Ans.—Some hunters use the bone from 
the second middle joint of the turkey— 
the smaller bone—and although the finer 
the bone, the more realistic the call, still 
a larger one is easier to practise on. Place 
one end just within the lips, clasp the 
bone by both hands, closed to form a 
sphere with the thumbs overlapping about 
the middle of the bone, and the lower end 
of the bone enclosed within the hands. 
The second and third fingers of one hand 
are held to ppen and shut as the sound is 
given out by sucking in quick draws 
through the bone. An effort to pronounce 
the sounds, “tu-u-u-u-rk-turk-turk-turk” 
will give you an idea of the mode of op¬ 
eration. The lips must be tightly closed 
around the bone that all air inhaled shall 
come through the bone, but not held stiffly 
in the mouth. An early issue of Forest 
and Stream will contain an article on 
Turkey hunting that will answer you more 
fully and also give some other details of 
the modes of hunting this noble game bird. 
E. D. P., Rumson, N. J.: 
I am an owner and lover of dogs, and 
wdsh to ask you if there is any truth in 
the rumor that it will soon become im¬ 
possible to obtain dog cakes, as the Gov¬ 
ernment has prohibited their manufacture 
as a measure of food conservation. If you 
know anything about this, will you kindly 
inform me. 
Ans.—We have inquired of makers of 
dog food, who advise that they will prob¬ 
ably be permitted to continue the manu¬ 
facture of dog cakes, etc. This will be 
welcome news to dog owners, for Dog 
Cakes, Puppy Biscuits, etc., are now looked 
upon more as economical necessities than 
canine luxuries. 
In Great Britain it appeared likely at 
one time that the manufacture would be 
prohibited, but it was soon shown that 
the. use of these foods really relieved the 
strain upon foods of various kinds made 
for human consumption. The Food Con¬ 
troller therefore gave the necessary per¬ 
mission for the continuance of the manu¬ 
facture of Dog Cakes. The same view has 
been taken here, at least for the present, 
and it is hoped that it will remain effective. 
S. S. G„ Wallace, Ida.: 
I have your book, “Gun Craft”; I also 
take Forest and Stream. Will you kindly 
advise me on the following points: 
No. I—What is the difference in shoot¬ 
ing power and results between a 32 inch 
barrel shot gun and a 30 inch barrel? 
No. 2—Is the same load used in 32 inch 
barrel as is used in the shorter barrel? 
No. 3—What, if any advantage, is pos¬ 
sessed by the 32 inch over the 30? 
Ans.—Question No. 1: There is no 
measurable difference in the shooting pow¬ 
ers of a 30" or 32" barrel of 12 gauge, 
the same boring and equal loads. The 
difference that does exist is in favor of the 
30" barrels, for the reason that the force 
of the powder is exercised within the first 
16 inches, and after that there is a loss of 
power on account of the friction of the 
shot against the sides of the barrels. The 
reason that gun barrels are made longer 
than 16 inches, is to facilitate handling and 
more accurate aim. The recoil of a 32" 
barrel is slightly less than the recoil of a 
30" barrel, because the gas column is 
lengthened and expelled more slowly. 
Question No. 2: Weight for weight, the 
same load is used in a 30" and a 32" 
barrel of the same gauge. 
Question No. 3: A 32" barrel affords 
slightly better alignment and can be swung 
with more regularity on crossing birds. 
.On the other hand, the longer barrels are 
a trifle slower, and there is the minor 
reduction in recoil which I have men¬ 
tioned. A tall powerful man who is in¬ 
clined to be fast might do better with a 
32" barrel than he could with one that was 
shorter. On the other hand a man of only 
moderate strength, who was inclined to be 
slow, would.unquestionably do better work 
with 30" barrels. The personal equation 
enters entirely into this question. 
J. B., Loudonville, N. Y.: 
Am taking advantage of your most kind 
and needed offer of expert advice by ask¬ 
ing advice on the following: I have a 16 
gauge Fulton gun, manufactured by the 
Hunter Arms Co. It is one of their double 
hammerless models, right barrel half 
choke; left, full • choke. I can success¬ 
fully hit small bottles and tin cans when 
thrown up in the air 1 almost every 
time I shoot at them. Yet when in 
the field I fail miserably sometimes. I 
hardly ever seem to be able to hit a fast 
running rabbit or flying bird, even in the 
open; when I do happen to hit, I attribute 
-it more to luck than skill. I have no dif¬ 
ficulty whatever on squirrels or slow mov¬ 
ing game. Would you lay this fault to 
lack of practice or the gun not fitting me, 
or the gauge? Before I bought this gun 
I shot a 12 gauge for two years with fair 
success. I made a change because my old 
gun was a single. I bought a 16 gauge on 
a friend’s recommendation. The new gun 
seems to fit me O. K. I can point it at 
any object and get it in line in an instant. 
My trouble seems to lie in shooting under 
every time. I shoot with both eyes open 
always I use No. 6 shot 2j/> drams Lesmoke. 
Have tried y l / 2 chilled—no better luck, 
you can give. 
Ans.—The fact that you shoot under 
moving objects indicates either one of two 
things: your stock is too straight or it has 
too much drop at the butt. You can 
lengthen the stock by putting on a rubber 
recoil pad, or you can build it up by the 
application of a leather pad over the comb. 
The fact that you are using a 16 gauge is 
not a handicap worthy of mention. 
Would suggest that you try shooting at 
objects with your head held almost erect; 
that is, do not throw your face down to 
the gun stock. We also advise you to try 
No. 8 shot. They are large enough for 
ordinary game. Lesmoke powder is in¬ 
tended for rifles only. We advise you to 
try factory loaded shells with Dupont or 
Infallible powder. 
R. B. H., Hazlehurst, Ga.: 
I am a constant reader of Forest and 
Stream and would thank you if you would 
print the address of the King Arms.Co. 
in your columns.. I have a Belgian shot 
gun, 12 gauge, with their name but no other 
address. It needs some new locks and as it 
is a fine shooting gun I would like to get 
the address of the company or some other 
company that handles Relgian shot guns. 
Ans.—Your gun is of Belgian make, and 
we regret to inform you that we know of 
no one in this country who has parts for 
sale. We do not believe there will be any- 
possibility of getting them for a long time 
after the war. We have had several in¬ 
quiries before about the same make of gun. 
C. D. M., Dover, Del.: 
Would be pleased to have the following 
information: 
1st.—What distance a load of shot strings 
at 50 yards? 
2d.—Is there any difference in the string¬ 
ing of different sizes of shot? 
Ans.—1st.—A load of three drams of 
powder and 1 % ounces of No. 7 shot fired 
from a choke bore gun will string about 
21 feet at 50 yards range. 
2d.—Theoretically there should be no 
difference in the stringing of the different 
sizes of shot up to 40 yards. If this oc¬ 
curred, it would simply indicate that the 
gun would not handle one size as well as 
another. 
