Gobbler Nation

Hunting with dogs at least once for turkey in the fall is something I would like to try. Its not legal in Missouri. Do you just send the dog to bust a flock?

swampchicken wrote:Hunting with dogs at least once for turkey in the fall is something I would like to try. Its not legal in Missouri. Do you just send the dog to bust a flock?

Yes, but there's a little more to it than that. You walk the ridges where you believe turkeys could be, and a good dog will range anywhere from 100-400 yards, looking for birds. Once the dog finds them, he/she will scatter them and bark, letting you know where the birds broke. Most guys now use a GPS tracking collar to keep track of their dog. Or, where legal, drive the roads, and when you spot a flock of birds in a field, gain permission to hunt from the landowner, walk the birds into the woodline (they don't generally scatter in an open field, they will run for the woods), and once the birds go in the woods, let the dog loose, the dog will break them up in short order.

Once the birds are scattered, you set up at the break spot and call them in (if everything goes right ). A well trained dog will sit quietly under a camo cover or in a bag, if the dog gets antsy you might have to bring them back to the truck.

Here's a YouTube video of Turkey Trot Acres, a guide service in NY, that gives a good idea of the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjQxwHYAuwc

Anyone that wants to try it, give me a shout, and I'll see if we can work something out. I don't have a lot of land near me that holds a lot of birds, but if you have some decent spots, I might be able to travel. If the birds are around, my Maizy will find them!

I am looking forward to Fall turkey season here in New York! Just a 2 week season now though.

A few things I've learned over the years...birds use the same roost areas year after year,Toms are hard to find but fun to hunt,decoys work well,call lots, and I stopped busting flocks years ago.I have found that it's way more productive to call birds in when you don't have a dog to bust a flock. I hunt public land and look forward to fall hunts. Most of my turkey hunting is done with a bow too.

You use a decoy in PA in the fall (and some public land in the spring) it and possible you are at a high risk of getting shot.

I enjoy Fall Turkey hunting - great time to be in the woods.

Thank goodness for Pennsylvania fall turkey hunting! Trust me, it's not the game commission I'm thanking. They are bound and determined to screw it up also with those d__n Fishers they put out. These things are like cats" Thrill killers" They are climbing up into the roosts and killing them on the limb.
They were brought in to control Porcupines, but they found out turkey dinners are much better. I have seen it in archery season with my own eyes!
I have killed a lot of gobblers in the fall and have fired the jakes up enough to have them gobbling for hours.
It is a blast to hunt with dogs in the fall and a great time to start a kid at turkey hunting.

I've been eyeballing some of the fall seasons,,,,,,may have a road trip in mind here shortly,,,,,,,,,,

Last season the achilles rupture made me miss the season, so I'm doubly excited to get out there this fall.