Planning to breed the two best Turkey Dogs we know.
If you'd like to get on the list, call or write soon.
Hunting Wild Turkey with a Dog
If you'd like to get on the list, call or write soon.
Hunting Wild Turkey with a Dog
What bird?
What bird interests a dog the most? Tip - they're found in 49 states, but usually flush out of range. If they land, it's often at the top of the tallest trees.
And what dog will teach itself, if the owner gets them out enough, so they learn? And what upland bird hunting has the most growth potential?
For the First Time in Decades, Hikers Can Walk in Forests of Mature, Wild American Chestnuts
“We don’t go out of our way to advertise this fact,” says Scrivani, “but the public can now hike in and walk through natural groves of healthy [American chestnut trees] and forage for nuts for the first time in nearly a century.” Garden & Gun
We got Lucky
Rest in peace, George Meyer
Hunting turkeys with dogs in Wisconsin owes everything to George Meyer, for shepherding it thought the maze of rules and regulations. And navigating through State politics (like hundreds of others he did).
On 8/31/09 George called to say thanks for this wingbone call, and tell me about the near catastrophe on the Turkey Dog rule. After 5 years of working on it, when it got to the Assembly Legislation committee, there was some controversy on the new bobcat rule and the open water hunting definition that nearly put Turkey Dogs back to Square One. George diplomatically avoided the Chairman's spat with the head committee woman (it was nothing but total politics).
Now all that has to be done is for the DNR to publish it. Because they're rules, the governor doesn't have to sign it. I said you know I never made a donation like I said I would, for the letters he sent on our behalf and was thinking I should buy him some gun raffle tickets? He said buy the WWF calendars, that’s even better, give them for presents. Typical George, always thinking of others. Wisconsin Loses Conservation Legend George E. Meyer
Wild Turkey Feathers
Taxidermists tell me they can't replicate the curved wing and tail feathers to look like a bird in flight, without breaking the feathers. I know a woodcarver who can do it. You wouldn't know if it was taxidermied or not. Matter of fact, a WI-DNR Warden came to his house one time, asking why he taxidermied a hawk, a protected species? So real, it fooled everybody. He had carved it.
Wing feathers
Snow Buntings
Trade Black Vultures for Wild Turkeys
Story here.
Happy Birthday Levi!
Today is Levi’s 6th birthday. We would’ve much rather hunted turkeys today, but pheasants are fun too!
How economic forces and industrial decline led to a Great Lakes tragedy
When Tom Nelson came to my house about 40 years ago, he was running for some office. I asked him why he'd want that job? Liked him ever since. Highly recommend reading his latest work.
Never forgot sitting in a restaurant, having perch dinner in Menominee, Michigan in November 1975. The whole place went absolutely quiet when word got around - the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in Lake Superior. Turned out, with everybody onboard.
Gordon Lightfoot - "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald"
Pennsylvania Opening Day
Kaily, the dogs, and I made it out to our camp for opening day of Pennsylvania’s fall turkey season. We had a little bit of late start and finally started hunting about mid-morning. The first stop yielded some fresh sign and a small break. We sat for about an hour and a half and nothing happened.
We began working our way to the main road and I passed a gate that looked promising. We stopped and it didn’t take long for the dogs to break another flock about 400 yards from the vehicle. At this point, it was around 2:30 pm.
Around 4:00 pm, we heard birds trying to regroup. We had a juvenile at about 35 yards, but it didn’t present a shot. Things went silent and we rebroke the flock.
About an hour later, we had another juvenile come from the top of the ridge (where we were originally set up). It was a little under 40 yards when it picked out something it didn’t like and pitched down the ridge. Shortly after that, another bird begins keeing and walked up the ridge and Kaily made an excellent shot. At this point, it’s less than an hour until sunset.
I decided to stay a little longer to see if we could call in one more bird. Not much later, another bird came up from the bottom. It continued to walk back and forth below a small dip and it took awhile for me to get a clean shot opportunity. I was an to get shot at the same exact opening Kaily killed hers! I shot it about 5:55, roughly 15 minutes before sunset.
Both birds were young juveniles, 5 lb. 4 oz. and 4 lb. 10 oz. Kaily’s bird had really neat colored wings!
We’ll be done turkey hunting for a bit. I’m hoping to make it back to Wisconsin at some point.
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Red compliments Black
Black compliments Red Some quail dogs the English brought to Virginia became turkey dogs
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