Looking to learn how to hunt fall turkeys with your versatile gun dog? Now is prime-time to hunt fall turkeys with your hunting dog. Pudelpointers are excellent trackers of turkeys, and they can also be used to flush a flock. A well trained gun dog will then sit next to you while you call the flock in with assembly calls; usually kee-kee sounds. Many hunters who own Cabin Creek Gun Dog pudelpointers have found good success hunting fall turkeys with this versatile dog breed.
Pudelpointers will also hold point on turkeys, should they decide not to run or fly. Turkeys are big birds and leave a lot of scent on the ground, and gun dogs love it.
When fall turkey hunting with a versatile gun dog, trust it. The scent laid down by a turkey greatly surpasses that of a quail or pheasant, meaning dogs can detect odors from a surprising distance, in a range of challenging habitats and conditions that might surprise you.
A few seasons ago a buddy was fall turkey hunting with his pudelpointer. He watched a flock of turkeys plucking insects on a hillside. When the flock turned uphill on a game trail leading into the timber, he let his pudelpointer loose. The flock had no idea the dog was quickly approaching, due to the tall grass they were in. The pudelpointer had seen the flock, and sprinted in, scattering the turkeys into nearby trees.
The hunter quickly covered the nearly 200 yards, but failed to find his dog or any turkeys. Figuring his pudelpointer was on a chase, he listened. Soon he heard an alarm putt coming from a turkey, 20 yards in front of him, followed by another, 30 yards to the left. He worked around a big patch of briars and found his pudelpointer on point. When we approached, a turkey flushed from the ground and he shot it. His dog retrieved it and they had fresh turkey for holiday dinner.
A versatile gun dog can also track turkeys without first seeing them. The challenge here comes in running across a turkey in the right habitat so the bird holds rather than runs or flies. A single turkey, usually a lone tom, is more likely to hold, whereas a bachelor flock of toms will often run or take wing into the nearest trees.
Turkeys will more likely hold in tall grass, briar patches and brushy thickets, than in shorter vegetation. That’s the fun of fall turkey hunting with your versatile gun dog…you never know what will happen.
Last fall a friend who owns one of our pudelpointers from Cabin Creek Gun Dogs was catching a lone tom on trail camera at mid-day. He took his five year old male pudelpointer, out. The dog has tracked many fall turkeys, his first at five months of age. They hunted into the wind, along the base of some rolling hills. Timber dominated the upper hillside, while briars and bushes were sparse enough to weave their way through, below the trees.
They covered over a half-mile before the pudelpointer paused, his nose stretching into the sky. His tail wagged, then he was off. The pudelpointer ran fast, sometimes with his nose to the ground, sometimes with his nose in the air, catching updrafts.
Suddenly, 75 yards ahead of my buddy, the dog stuck a perfect point. My friend worked around his dog, searching for a turkey. Finally, he found the lone tom, body flat to the ground, neck outstretched. As he moved to the side, the tom grew nervous and took of running. A quick shot ended the hunt and soon the pudelpointer was bulldozing his way through brush to fetch the 21 pound bird.
About half of the states in the U.S. allow fall turkey hunting with a dog, so be sure and check the regulations in your state before heading out. Also, be sure and check the fall turkey hunting seasons. Some states have extended hunts, like Oregon, who now offers fall turkey hunting that starts in mid-October and runs through the end of January.
Fall turkey hunting with your versatile gun dog is a thrill that you and your dog will look forward to every year. Pudelpointers love fall turkey hunting, and they’re very good at it. We’ve had many good reports of our pudelpointer bloodline from Cabin Creek Gun Dogs doing very well on fall turkey hunts, be it on dry ground, in the rain, or snow. If you’re one of them, we’d love to hear your story and see some pictures. Good hunting!
