This story, “Turkeys of the Tall Peaks,” first ran within the Could 1948 problem of Outside Life
THE INSTANT we reached the crest of the rocky, knife-sharp ridge, we noticed the turkeys. However they’d noticed us first and had been darting by the Arizona brush, heads low, necks outstretched, lengthy legs flashing — pulling a quick get-away.
“We received’t get a good shot,” lamented Ralph. “Possibly we’d higher shoot into ’em anyway. Make ’em scatter!”
Simply then a heavy gobbler made the error of making an attempt to cross a small clearing. Ralph let loose a low, happy, “Ahha,” as he introduced his sights on the bronze magnificence. “Wham!” went the rifle, and an ideal bathe of feathers erupted into the skinny mountain air.
“I bought ’im! I bought ’im!” whooped Ralph. On the shot, the flock took to the air in wild, frenzied flight, and I used to be about to touch upon the truth that the birds had been effectively scattered when Ralph all of the sudden jerked up his rifle and squalled, “Hey, my hen’s solely wounded!”
Earlier than he might let drive with one other shot, the gobbler dived right into a near-by thicket and disappeared from sight. “I’ll get ‘im,” puffed Ralph as he sprinted after the nice hen.
Joe, our rancher host, and I went over to check out the pile of feathers. The rancher shortly opined, “Ralph ain’t going to get that turkey. He didn’t even hit ’im!”
“Nuts!” I scoffed. “Didn’t I see him hit the hen? Didn’t the bullet knock this tubful of feathers from him?”
“Yeah, you’re proper in regards to the feathers,” admitted Joe, “however take a great take a look at ’em. They’ve been clipped off neatly at the least an inch or two from the disguise!”
Joe was proper. Each feather was clipped brief; the bullet will need to have gone the size of the hen’s physique reducing feathers and never as soon as drawing blood! I hollered Ralph again, and my buddy was scarcely in sight when he known as, “You guys discover ’im?”
“No,” I returned, “however you’d higher come and browse a tragic message.”
After inspecting each feather he might discover, Ralph appeared carefully for blood, discovered none — and eventually admitted that he’d didn’t hit the bullseye on the gobbler.
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“Plenty of people make the identical mistake,” Joe identified. “They overlook that a lot of feathers encompass all that scrumptious turkey meat!”
“Oh, effectively,” stated Ralph, taking out his yelper, “I did a great deed anyway; I scattered ’em everywhere in the mountains. Now we will name ’em up — and keep in mind. we will get two apiece this 12 months.”
Joe shook his head. “Positive, a caller will work — generally — however you’ve over appeared the truth that there’s greater than a mild breeze blowing. The air currents that whip out and in about these excessive factors will both carry the sound away or throw it proper again in your face. Higher overlook your yelper, and we’ll go hunt up one other flock.”
Ralph sat down, again to a widetrunked pine. “You guys go forward. Me, I’m sticking proper right here. Why, I’ve hunted for days simply to get a flock break up up so I might name ’em in!”
Joe grinned good-naturedly, shouldered his rifle, and turned to me. “Come on,” he stated, “it’s solely 9 o’clock. There’s loads of time to go searching and shock a number of flocks.”
Turkeys Had been Mountain-Smart
So Joe and I left Ralph, to proceed the hunt as we’d deliberate. There was a wonderful acorn crop within the decrease nation and the turkeys had been visiting the dense thickets every day, but it surely was just about unattainable to get a shot on the cautious birds within the heavy brush. We suspected that every night the mountainwise turkeys had been touring appreciable distances uphill to roost, and we’d been on our technique to the upper nation once we shocked the flock that Ralph was now decided to name in.
After a brief, stiff climb, we got here to а pine-dotted bench that adopted round beneath an ideal granite rim. We positioned a number of spots the place previous droppings littered the bottom, however not a contemporary roosting place did we discover.
Lastly Joe stated, “Possibly we’d higher drop over to the suitable and work a few of these little coves. Turkeys like to hang around in such locations on windy days.”
Nicely, we headed for the coves, and I discovered that “dropping over” meant easing round wall-like cliffs, with nothing however skinny air between us and the bottom, half a mile under. To say the miniature parks had been secluded can be placing it mildly, and I remarked, “Boy, if there are any turkeys right here, they certain received’t know what a person seems like. They should be straightforward selecting.”
“Mountain turkeys are not any pushovers,” warned Joe, “whether or not they’ve ever seen a human or not. They’re born with loads of brains in these purple-black heads!”
And the rancher was proper. We labored the primary cove and noticed contemporary signal — however no turkeys. One thing tells me these cautious rascals noticed us and gave us the slip. We continued on to the subsequent cove — and our luck all of the sudden modified. We had been easing alongside like shadows, benefiting from each stalwart pine, when all of the sudden Joe grabbed my arm, gave it a squeeze, and pointed towards a skinny patch of oaks, 100 yards forward. Immediately there got here a pointy “Purrt! Purrt!” and the turkeys had been gone, as solely turkeys can evaporate when certainly one of their quantity sounds the alarm.
Joe and I rushed ahead, rifles at prepared, hoping to get a snapshot because the birds scurried up the slope. A deer can get round within the mountains with velocity and ease, but it surely takes a turkey to scale the steepest partitions of rock shortly, simply and with out displaying himself or making the slightest noise. Realizing this, I ended as quickly as I noticed which means the birds had been heading and picked out a small opening on the base of a mass of towering boulders 200 yards away. If luck was with me, a few birds would certainly expose themselves once they topped out. It will be a protracted shot — and a quick shot, however it could be higher than no shot in any respect.
A Fortunate Shot
The moment I noticed the opening, three superb gobblers got here from the oaks at a useless run and raced madly across the boulder. These operating rascals had made it to the crest faster than I’d anticipated, and I barely managed to get in a shot on the final hen, a plump younger gobbler. On the bark of my rifle, the turkey pitched on its head and drummed the bottom together with his highly effective wings.
“That’s good capturing,” beamed Joe. It was a fortunate shot, I knew, however once we climbed as much as get the hen, we discovered that the bullet had severed the turkey’s neck — a fortunate shot, certainly!
Because the wind had settled a bit, I advised that we stick round and attempt to name up the birds.
“Don’t consider it would work,” Joe stated. “The birds didn’t scatter a lot, in order that they’ll go a good distance earlier than they cease. And simply because it’s calm right here on this cove ain’t no signal the wind ain’t howling throughout us.”
Joe’s argument sounded fairly sound however, because it was lunchtime, I talked him into stopping to eat our sandwiches.
Nicely, we ate and rested up a bit. Then, after we’d taken it straightforward for greater than an hour, I started sending out seductive calls. I might name, decide up my rifle, and wait; name, decide up my rifle, and wait. Not one reply did I get. I used to be lastly pressured to confess that turkey calling, the deadliest trick identified to turkey hunters, is not at all sure-fire in Arizona’s spirelike mountains.
After I’d been stumped by the acoustics, Joe and I labored out two extra coves, then dropped down and commenced searching the brushlands. And it was within the thick brush that Joe noticed a flock and bagged a fats hen. How his bullet ever reached the hen with out being deflected by twigs, I’ll by no means know. As with my shot, luck was an necessary issue, little question.
It was not but sunset once we reached camp with our turkeys. Ralph had beat us in, so we went over to do some gloating. To our shock, Ralph merely glanced at our birds and stated, “Fairly good, however why didn’t you decide ’em greater?”
This was like a shot of chilly water within the face, and Joe retorted sarcastically, “I suppose you can do higher!”
Ralph lifted an eyebrow. “Yep. I might — and did. Check out that child hanging within the tree.”
Joe and I appeared — and gulped, eyes bulging. An enormous gobbler hung there, his metallic-hued feathers glittering within the night mild.
“Don’t inform me you known as ’im in on that windy level?” gasped Joe.
“No, I didn’t,” admitted Ralph. “After I couldn’t get a solution, I made a decision to scout round. And did I make a discovery!”
“Don’t inform us you discovered a selection turkey roost and killed that gobbler proper in the course of the day!”
“Nope, I didn’t discover a roost. Don’t have to. I bought a system that beats that.” That was an excessive amount of for Joe. “Pay attention,” he pleaded, “we’re sorry we left you. We admit you’re one of the best turkey hunter within the crowd. Now inform us what it’s all about!”
Ralph had us the place he needed us — and was decided to benefit from it. “You guys assure to do all of the camp chores, and I’d take you out tomorrow,” he parried.
Joe turned to me. “That’s a superb howdy-do,” he stated flatly. “Right here I’ve lived in these hills all my life, and a dude is available in and exhibits me up — kills the most important gobbler I ever noticed.”
“Dumb luck,” I stated.
“Hold your shirts on,” suggested Ralph, “till what you’re speaking about!”
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Nicely, Joe and I had been up lengthy earlier than daylight and had breakfast prepared earlier than Ralph would come from the covers. Nonetheless, my buddy was nearly as good as his phrase and, when he noticed a strip of pink within the east, stated, “Come on, you guys. Let’s go. It’s greater than a mile to the place we take up our stand.”
Joe and I shouldered our rifles and silently adopted at Ralph’s heels, decided to razz the socks off him if he didn’t ship the products. We plowed by the brushlands and got here to a slim, steep-walled canyon. We had scarcely entered the gorge when Ralph pointed to a clump of pines and stated, “Nicely, right here we’re. We’ll take up our stand over there and preserve a pointy watch on the other facet. Some turkeys’ll be coming down fairly quickly!”
A scant seventy-five yards distant, a small ledge jutted out into the mattress of the canyon, and Joe demanded, “Which means they coming; above the rocks or down the sandy stream mattress?”
“Above the rocks, in fact,’ Ralph answered. “That’s the rationale I picked this spot to attend. We will decide ’em off once they present up there.”
“Oh effectively,” Joe stated resignedly, “I’ve been on snipe hunts earlier than!”
“Hold quiet,” Ralph whispered; “or the turkeys’ll hear you!”
For the higher a part of an hour we sat, our backs in opposition to bushes, rifles throughout our knees. Then it occurred. A small black head popped above the rocks — adopted by one other, and nonetheless one other. Turkey heads, they had been — and the cagy birds had stopped to look issues over earlier than exposing themselves. I held my breath, instinctively making an attempt to make myself smaller.
We didn’t have lengthy to attend. The foremost turkey stepped into the open, lifting every foot slowly and inserting it on the bottom gently, as if he figured each enemy was outfitted with airplane-detector ears. The remainder of the flock adopted, like dark-coated ghosts.
“Take ’em,” whispered Ralph.
The third hen was an impressive trophy. I introduced my sights on him simply the place his neck joined his physique. “Now,” I breathed, and two rifles exploded as one.
I noticed my hen sit on his tail feathers and spin round and round, drumming his wings like a hen with its head off. One other superb gobbler hit the bottom and lay nonetheless, useless earlier than he knew what struck him. The remainder of the flock darted up the slope, conserving to the oaks and never as soon as exposing themselves.
Not till the thrill was over did I understand that solely two had fired. “Who bought the opposite one?” I requested.
Ralph replied shortly, “Joe did. I didn’t shoot.”
“What’s the matter — weren’t these infants adequate for you?”
“They had been fairly good,” admitted Ralph, “however there’s no hurry. I’d get a much bigger one slightly later. Anyway I needed you fellows to be sure you fill your tags.”
This speak didn’t set too effectively with Joe. I heard him mutter once more that it’s a superb howdy-do when a dude will get so picky.
We collected our birds and I advised that we attempt to name in a straggler, however Ralph stated, “We solely have another to get — and there’s one other place I need to strive, simply half a mile over the hill, at one other canyon.”
“Let’s go,” stated Joe. “I don’t understand how you do it, however lead on. I’d study one thing.”
“You’ll study one thing, all proper,” Ralph promised, “if I suppose proper once more.”
Had Them Figured Proper
We went to the canyon, however Ralph wasn’t in a rush to take up his stand. We ate our sandwiches and loafed round till the solar was effectively on its westward swing. Lastly Ralph stated, “We’d higher get out of sight. Some turkeys could be coming this fashion.”
This time Joe and I saved our counsel, and Ralph chosen a small oak patch close to a rocky level. This time, nonetheless, he confronted down the canyon.
“I start to scent a mouse,” Joe stated, “however I can’t determine the way you do it.”
“Don’t overwork your mind,” suggested Ralph. “If I suppose proper once more, I’ll allow you to in on the key.”
Nicely, he actually had these birds figured proper. We had been hidden little greater than an hour when a flock of turkeys streamed above the ledge and single-filed up the canyon. I counted fourteen superb birds. Ralph picked out an enormous, long-bearded gobbler, a really magnificent hen, and dropped him in his tracks. The rest of the flock flew out up the canyon and had been quickly misplaced from sight.
“Nicely,” beamed Ralph, “that’s what I name an actual turkey hunt! I like my birds to have loads of good, golden fats, and each my gobblers are as heavy as they arrive.”
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“Yeah,” stated Joe, “however how’d the turkeys had been coming?”
“Oh, that,” grinned Ralph, as if the topic was one thing he’d forgotten about. “Nicely, whenever you guys left me yesterday, I bought to figuring that if the turkeys had been roosting uphill, they’d should journey to and from their feeding grounds. I discovered that they did, too — and made neat little trails within the doing! Come over and I’ll present you!”
We went over and certain sufficient, there was a small, slim path main above the ledge. “The turkeys journey single file more often than not,” defined Ralph, “they usually preserve to cowl as a lot as doable. That’s the rationale I chosen the stands close to ledges; the little paths are plainer the place the birds go above the obstructions to maintain from exposing themselves a lot.”
Joe turned to me. “It’s a superb howdy-do,” he stated, “when two fellers are as thickheaded as you and me.”
“You stated it,” I agreed.
This textual content has been minimally edited to fulfill modern requirements.
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