Syracuse.com - Unsuccessful at fall turkey hunting? Try using dogs

[HuntingNY-News]

Clare uses specially bred dogs that locate the birds as far as 200 to 300 yards away and then break up the flock by with a series of loud barks. The dogs then return to its master and go to sleep between his legs underneath a tarp.

Peter Clare said friends and family members thought he was crazy when he opened up a hunting lodge specializing in turkey hunting in northern Tioga County back in 1987.

Getting birds consistently during the spring is one thing. Fall hunting for turkey can be much more difficult.

Today, Turkey Trot Acres Lodge in Candor, about 18 miles south of Ithaca, is still going strong. Clare said his fall hunts, often frustrating for many hunters, are more often than not successful. His secret?

"We hunt with dogs. Appalachian turkey dogs," he said.

A successful fall turkey hunt at Turkey Trot Acres. From bottom left, Peter Clare; Steve Hickoff, of Maine; upper left, Josh Grossenbacher and Brett Barry, both of Ohio.Photo courtesy of Peter Clare 

Hunting turkeys with dogs is legal in this state. Clare isn't the only one to used specially trained dogs to hunt fall turkey, but he's the most well-known, having been written up in a number of hunting magazines the past two decades.

Before explaining how the dogs are used, Clare talked a bit about the behavior of turkeys during the course of the year.

"During the spring, the turkeys are scattered. It's their mating season," he said.

The gist of spring turkey hunting, Clare said, is for the hunter to set up in an area where the turkeys are known to frequent, and then calling the males (gobblers) to you by imitating the calls of a female (hen) bird. Only male birds can be shot during this season and the hunter's tactics are all about tapping into the male bird's sex drive and pride.

During the rest of the year, the hens and young birds flock together for safety and feeding reasons, as do the older gobblers in separate groups or just keep to themselves.

During the fall hunting season, where both gobblers and hens can be taken, the key is locating the flocks. However, the birds have unbelievably acute eyesight and hearing and easy can detect a hunter coming from a long distance.

Enter the dogs.

Clare uses specially bred dogs that locate the birds as far as 200 to 300 yards away and then break up the flock by with a series of loud barks. The birds scatter in every direction.

The hunters go to the spot, the so-called "the "break point," where they heard the dog barking. Either they lean up against a tree out of our site, or set up a camouflauge blind.

The birds, by nature, want to get the flock back together and eventually begin calling to each other. The hunters begin calling the birds back imitating the calls that the turkeys are making to each other.

And the dogs?

"At one point, they run and bark like maniacs. After the flock is scattered they come back, and lay down next to the hunter and are covered with a tarp and then go to sleep. They're trained to do that," Clare said.

Clare has seven dogs, which he bought from a breeder in Lowry, Va. The originator of the Appalachian turkey dog breed that Clare uses was John Byrne, who died last year. His son, J.T., currently operates the business.

"John Sr. spent his life breeding angus cattle and knew all about blood lines and how to cross breed," he said. "He just decided one day to make a turkey hunting dog."

The dog he came up with was a cross of a plotthound (known for smelling capabilities, its ability to cover big distances and loud penetrating bark), an English setter (dogs with an instinct for hunting birds, often grouse or pheasants) and a pointer (another dog used to hunt birds).

"What he did was create a dog that was half hound, half bird dog," Clare said.

Terry Day, of Constantia, with his dog, Piper, following a successful turkey hunt last fall.Submitted photo 

Terry Day, of Constantia, hunts fall turkey with his dog, Piper, a two-year-old, female Appalachian turkey dog he bought from the Byrne kennel in Virginia. He said he had to sign a contract promising not to breed the dog.

"She's a turkey hunter from the get-go. She wants nothing but turkeys. It's amazing," Day said.

Veteran turkey hunter and guide Mike Joyner, of McGraw, said he knows of several local hunters who use dogs to hunt fall turkeys in Central New York.

"The dogs that Clare uses are the best known," he said. "But any dog that's willing to chase and scatter the birds and bark, and then sit still when called back is valued."

Joyner said he uses weimaraners, a male and a female. They don't range as far afield as Clare's dogs but they get the job done.

"Some people put their dogs in a burlap or camo bag. My dogs are too big for that. I just put my leg of them and that calms them down," he said.

Joyner said one essential characteristic of any good turkey dog is that it must bark loudly while breaking up the flock.

"Otherwise, they'll be out of sight scattering the birds and you won't know if anything happened," he said.

KNOW THE LAW: The fall turkey hunting in Central New York opened Tuesday and in most areas extends to Nov. 15. The season in the northern part of the state ends Oct. 18. A small game hunting license is required. Hunting hours are sunrise to sunset, and the season limit in most areas locally is two birds per season, either sex. Check the DEC hunting guide for further information.

For more: Call the Turkey Trot Acres Hunting Lodge at 607-659-7849 or the lodge's website see turkeygtrotacres.com; check out the American Wild Turkey Hunting Dog Association website .

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog