Tennessee turkey call maker Frank Cox and his dog Buster

"Fall turkey hunting with my dog makes me feel like a kid again.
It's the most excitement I've had hunting in a long time.
Here's my dog Buster, a Boykin Wachtelhund outcross. I thank Hilary & Tom Nickerson for one of the greatest gifts ever."

I donated this scrimshawed Turkey Dog Radio (like Tom Turpin used), to the American Wild Turkey Hunting Dog Association.

"Frank Cox, one of the finest turkey call-makers in the country, put on the eBay auction block a Tom Turpin/Henry Davis style, wingbone trumpet caller that brought $2,010, with the proceeds donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital."

"Buster's first kill was in Kentucky in 2004 (8 months old), and his second kill in Kentucky in 2004.
Two days hunting, two breaks and two turkeys on public land. I fear for the turkeys that cross our path.
Buster barks like a mad dog on the flush and was setting at my side on this kill. No bag or sack for this dog."

"Buster and I also went to middle Tennessee... two days two hens." Nov. 16, 2004

"The property I was hunting was hard to break the turkeys on without flushing them off the property. In two days Buster did 3 breaks and I was able to call these two in to the gun. I called another in hunting with my antique 13 gauge muzzle loader but didn't take the shot (about 30 yards). I put it away and brought out the fire power, to be fair to Buster. The last turkey I killed we flushed them about an hour before dark (about 35 birds and I witnessed the break, it was a sight to see). Buster and I were setting close by at first light today. A few tree calls on the Trumpet call followed by some kee kee runs on a diaphram was all it took to bring the second lonesome hen in. If I had more tags this morning I feel confident I could've called another to the gun."

The second 2004 Tennessee season opened December 13. Howard L. Harlan and I got 5 birds in two days:

two tennessee long beard wild turkey gobblers

I got two young gobblers the first day, and right at dusk Buster scattered a flock of 14 longbeards.
Howard Harlan arrived that night. I told Howard about the longbeards and that we would have to be in position before daylight. Howard assured me he was ready. It was 21 degrees the next morning and the wind was howling.
We eased down the pasture hollow, below the ridge where I knew they were roosted. We eased up the side of the ridge and got settled. When it was light enough to shoot I sent out a few low guttural yelps on my Trumpet. The hill side came to life, for the next 30 minutes "we" were gobbling, yelping, and had two Toms come almost within range in the pasture. Then what I feared might happen, happened. Several came down the side of the ridge just above and behind us, they were very close... so close Buster whimpered. They moved on and I kept calling. I turned as best I could and switched shoulders with the gun, two more almost met their demise, but in turkey hunting almost doesn't count. I told Howard to get ready, I was going to circle the ridge and scatter them again. After I got on the end of the ridge I spotted one of them, and set Buster loose... in seconds Buster was barking and had them on the run, and right away I heard boom... then silence. Buster and I made it back to Howard, he had a big smile on his face and a very nice turkey; 8" beard, 7/8" sharp spurs, and weighed 17 1/4 lb.
Later that day Buster and I got two more. All birds were legally harvested and tagged and checked in as required in Tennessee.
This is Busters first year, he's nine months old, he has been on nine hunts and harvested nine birds. Some might call it luck, some might say they must've been thick... In turkey hunting you hone your own skills, and you make your own luck.

Turkey Calls : An Enduring American Folk Art

"Here's a couple of pictures of two days hunting in Tennessee with Buster, fall 2007; 3 longbeards and 9 hens."

"Until someone experiences flushing turkeys with a dog and then setting with your dog
and calling them back.... they haven't experienced 'real fall turkey hunting'."
"I believe all States owe it to future hunters and the turkeys, to foster a turkey hunting heritage to be passed on to future generations, and remove turkeys from opportunist hunting situations. Tennessee has let deer hunters take opportunist shots at turkeys during deer seasons, yet in a lot of counties someone that wants to hunt them can't. What does this do to promote real turkey hunting?" Frank Cox - turkey call maker and turkey dog hunter.
April, 2006: 17 lb., 10 3/4" beard, one inch needles.

Called in with Henry Davis' personal hunting call.

This a story from this fall ('08) on a very well disciplined dog in a tight situation. Earl and I had a pretty good morning. About 9 o'clock I shot my second bird, she came in yelping to beat the band. Earlier this bird to the north kept coming in, but just wouldn't show herself, and I'd also heard several more birds calling north and east of our location. I told Buster to stay and walked over to Earl and suggested we move 50 to 75 yards to a different location. We walked back to where Buster was. As we were standing there, mapping out a new strategy to get Earl his second bird, the bird north of us started calling within 50 yards. I chose to just stand and told Buster to stay. Earl immediately dropped down and bobcat'd about ten yards north, to a location with a good view of a fire break. I whispered to Buster to 'stay' and I started calling on Steve's Extreme Kee diaphragm. The terrain of the fire break rolled slightly down and without offering Earl a shot, the hen made it across and came in directly behind me. Buster's faced a lot of turkeys over the years, and has always done real good. But this was going to be the ultimate test, as I was standing up and Buster was laying at my feet (unhidden). The hen turkey came in talking, six feet behind the 12" dia. pinetree I'm leaned against, eyeball to eyeball with Buster. I'm looking directly at Earl and through his face mask, I can tell he's laughing. At this point I'd have laid odds this turkey wasn't going to die today. After what seemed like an eternity, this hen comes out on my right side, about 10 feet from Buster. Earl said Buster moved his head a little one time, and the hen looked at him, but Buster held, and she went back to looking for the hen that she thought was calling down the hollow in front of her. I still had my doubts this hen would die. She inched on past Buster and I. About 15 yards out Earl let her have it. We both laughed in disbelief that we had all pulled this off. Earl said he was wondering which one of us were going to screw up first (meaning Buster and I). After all was said and done, Earl commented that no one was going to believe this story when I told it. Believe it or not! Frank

If you're in Tennessee, visit the The Bird Dog Foundation, Inc.- home of the National Bird Dog Museum,
the Field Trial Hall of Fame, the Retriever Museum, and the Wildlife Heritage Center in Grand Junction, TN.