# Turkey season starts today!



## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

We're going out tomorrow to hunt the elusive turkey bird. Wish us luck. This will be Kauzy's first turkey hunt. We'll see how he does. I've never hunted turkey with a dog, so it will be quite a learning month for us.

Do any of you guys hunt turkey with your V?


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## sniper john (Jun 17, 2010)

Dmak,
How are you going to utilize Kauzy for Turkey hunting? Also, make sure it is legal for your state. Many states it is legal for the fall season, but not the spring season. Some states dogs are not allowed at all with Turkey hunting. My state has regulations prohibiting dogs for Turkey hunting on public land, but not on private land.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

We went out this morning and it was a bust. 85 degs f and a 30 MPH wind whipping across the bayou

We'll be hunting Tennessee and Louisiana (Utah this coming fall season). Spring dogs are allowed in TN and UT anywhere, and in La they are allowed on private lands in spring. What the goal for him is, and the training we've been doing, is to have him flush a flock, come back to me, wait quietly, and I call them back. He then helps track downed birds. I'm hoping it will work. I figured that I've trained him on upland, wetland, trailing and tracking small/large game; why not teach him to work for me with turkey as well. He's my hunting buddy and I wanna have him out there with me, I trust him more than most people in the field . Should be interesting. We are leaving this coming Thursday for a 5 day hunt in TN.

This site has some pretty good info on hunting turkey with dogs


http://www.turkeydog.org


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Great Stuff Dmak......bow or bang stick on the turkeys?????


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

Bow of course. The bang sticks only come out for upland bird, duck, mountain lion, moose and occasionally elk


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## sniper john (Jun 17, 2010)

I take my dog on all private land turkey hunts in the spring and in the fall if not also hunting deer. Your strategy can be very effective on fall hunts, but the problem with Spring hunts can be that the Gobblers are already somewhat separated, looking for hens, and already easy to call for different reasons. There is no need to break them up. For Spring hunting I still use my dog though. A few years ago, I lost a wounded Turkey. That same year I saw a hunting show on TV that featured a Turkey hunter who utilized his Labrador on Spring hunts, I figured why not my dog too. My Vizsla sits still behind me and is only sent as a catch dog after the shot. She will also run along with me at heel when I am on a run and gun strategy to get in position for moving birds as well as morning set ups on birds coming off roost. It adds a fun exiting element to my Turkey hunting. 




























Fall Turkey


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Nice pics SJ. Love the look on pups face standing next to his bird!!! 

You guys have it good over there for hunting. We can only bow hunt Birds in one spot in Victoria and that is on a farmed game ranch for Pheasant. The other thing which is a pain, is we have a thing called a Lyrebird, a bit like a Peacock. They are everywhere in the bush, but being a native animal....not hunting allowed............ It sux that the greenies have managed to stop so many opportunities to hunt here in Oz. Even farmers who are having crops destroyed by large mobs of Kangaroos (Which are just out of control population wise) have to apply to the Govt for a permit to shoot them on their own land!!! 

And even Deer, which are an introduced pest species are not allowed to be hunted on private property without a permit and are only allowed to be hunted under natural light, no spotlighting of Deer!! Stupid, stupid rules dreamt up by idealistic idiots who have no freaking idea about the realities of life..........

Well...that's my rant over......

I hope you have some pics like Sniper Johns to show soon Dmak!!!


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## v-john (Jan 27, 2013)

I've had the pointed, when quail hunting. I had one caught too, by one of my dogs. 

We have too many turkeys here though, I can tell you that!


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Vj - same problem here in Ky - way to many turkeys - them and the coyotes are very hard on the native quail - at least this year there is no coyote season or limit - our leaders Finlay saw the light !!!!!


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## v-john (Jan 27, 2013)

R said:


> Vj - same problem here in Ky - way to many turkeys - them and the coyotes are very hard on the native quail - at least this year there is no coyote season or limit - our leaders Finlay saw the light !!!!!


THANK YOU!

Everyone I talk to (Fish and Game folks, Biologists, etc.) swears that the turkeys have no impact on quail populations. I disagree wholeheartedly. They are competing for the same habitat. They have been know to eat chicks. Why wouldn't they have an impact on quail?

Very frustrating.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

Sniper John - thanks for the info/advice. I'm sure I'll be asking you questions after our hunt this coming weekend.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

We leave tomorrow for our hunt. Getting excited. It will be real when I get home today and get my hunt bag and bow case out. Kauzy always knows its hunt time when those bags come out, he gets so excited


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

We just got back from our trip. It was a tough weekend for all involved. We had to cut down our field time together by 2 days. On our second day out, Kauzy somehow cut open his front right foot and it took me over an hour to stop the bleeding. He continued to hunt with me on 3 feet, but I didn't want him to further injure himself so I pulled him off the field. I got a gobbler on the last day about 30 mins before we left so it wasn't a total bust. With the pup injured, we stayed around camp most of the time. A bottle of Bourbon, a couple cigars and good times around the fire. It was good to get away from life


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Wishing a speedy recovery to Krauzy!


Cheers,
Oops it's only 10:25AM... Nice coffee break, back to work.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

dmak - living in Kentucky - Bourbon is the holy grail of whiskey - neat - on the rocks or with a splash of branch water - as God intended it to be drank - LOL - hope Kauzy recovers soon - PIKE tore his left front dew claw pad Saturday - cleaned and liquid stitches did the trick - he starts his SH tests this weekend so like you - it's mutt on the lap at night in front of the fireplace a bourbon in hand - sometimes sitting back is the best way to enjoy your V !!!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

dmak
No pictures of the gobbler?
I hope Kauzy and PIKE have a speedy recovery.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

Pics will be up tonight. Got in at midnight last night and for to work for 6am today. Camera is still in the hunt bag


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