Turkeys, like all other game, were hunted in the fall and early winter.
Spring hunting came about in the early 1970s when conservationists had finally reintroduced the turkey after nearly half a century of extirpation from Eastern North America. The first hunts were quite restricted and one of the challenges was to ensure that hunters would only shoot males, leaving the hens to nest. During the spring, gobblers are much more vocal and 90% of the time, only the toms will come in to a call. Thus the spring hunt was born.
In recent years, however, there has been a renewed interest in fall hunting and many jurisdictions are now opening autumn seasons. Along with this has come the revival of a forgotten hunting tradition; hunting turkeys with dogs.
The Fall Turkey Hunt
In the fall, turkeys flock together and stay grouped throughout the winter. The traditional method is to locate a flock by still-hunting in the woods. When a flock is located, the hunter rushes the flock and scatters it. He then attempts to call one of them back.
When a dog is used, however, he does the work of finding the flock. A turkey dog ranges through the woods in circles, though never straying too far from the hunter. Once he busts a flock, he barks loudly until his master arrives. Then the calling begins. A good turkey dog must be able to remain still and quiet until after the shot. Most hunters wrap their dogs in a camouflage bag or netting to conceal them. After the shot, the dog retrieves the bird or tracks it if it has been wounded.
The Turkey Dogs
Unlike upland bird dogs, which are purebred and boast long pedigrees, turkey dogs are often mixed breeds. Pointers and setters (and crossbreeds thereof) were traditionally used. In the southern US, the Boykin Spaniel is a traditional favorite.
The closest thing to a “true turkey dog” is the one bred in the 1960s by Virginia cattle farmer John Byrne. Byrne developed the breed now called the Appalachian turkey dog by crossing a pointer with an English setter and a Plott hound.
While training a dog for turkey hunting might sound difficult, Byrne, in an interview with Field & Stream magazine in 2006, claimed that the dog’s instincts are strong enough that he can train himself. “You just need to give him access to turkeys,” said Byrne, “and then let the genetics kick in.”
Pete Clare is a New York hunting guide who uses an Appalachian turkey dog. He says that while any gun dog can be used for turkeys, only the Appalachian will bark when it busts a flock, probably the most important trait for a turkey dog. "These dogs make me look like a hero," he says proudly.
The Ethics Controversy
Hunting turkeys with dogs is legal in 29 out of the 44 US states that have turkey seasons. Last year, Ontario became the first Canadian province to introduce a fall turkey hunt and ruled that canine companions would be legal.
Other states allow a dog to be used to locate wounded turkeys, but not for actively hunting them. Still others forbid them altogether.
Hunters are divided on the issue of turkey dogs. Some believe they give the hunter an unethical advantage. Others maintain that since fall turkey seasons usually run concurrent with archery deer seasons, a dog running through the woods will ruin the day for bowhunters.
Avid turkey-doggers however, insist that both claims are unfounded. The dog only finds and scatters the flock; it is up to the calling skills of the hunter to lure a bird in. Also, they point out that hunters pursue pheasant and grouse with dogs at this time of year without problems. It’s simply a matter of ethics; if someone is deer hunting in an area, they take their dogs elsewhere.
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