| We're always scratching for a few kernels of wisdom. Send in your ponderings, opinions or predictions. |
 "Ace wasn't
able to get out in the woods this year because of a
terrible accident. Ace and my roommates dog Kira managed
to get up on the interstate (Route 460) a couple months
ago. They got spooked and ran to the other side, which
happened to be a bridge and jumped, not knowing. They fell
40' and landed on the road underneath, where we found
them. A miracle that they were still alive, we rushed them
to the Virginia Tech Vet Hospital. They were able to get
both dogs internal injury's stable and we found out that  they were going to make
it. Ace the chocolate lab had a fractured shoulder, broken
wrist, which he had to get surgery on and two broken paws.
Kira has two broken wrists which have had surgery on. The
Vets say they should both be able to run again, as long as
everything heals up properly. Please pray that they have a
good recovery.Because I am a college student at Virginia Tech, I am seeing if anyone would know any funding organizations in these circumstances that would maybe help pay for some of the vet bills ($3500+). They will have their casts on for one more month. Please let me know if you have know any organizations that might help. We are looking forward to next years hunt! I'm a junior, majoring in Horticulture Landscaping with a minor in business and may also  minor in wildlife
management. You can reach me at 540-421-8238." James
Ulmer 3418 Yellow Sulphur Rd, Blacksburg, VA
24060 11/29/11 It seems young dogs do impulsive things without thinking. But we can only imagine what it's like to be able to smell as good as a dog can. Maybe it was an overly appealing scent? In Scotland, about one dog a month has jumped off the Overtoun Bridge since the 1950's or 60's. Almost all of them jumped from the final two parapets on the right-hand side. The strange thing is, some dogs that survived climbed back up and jumped again. They were all long-nosed breeds: labradors, collies and retrievers. Quite the mystery. Here an old 12 point buck killed himself, jumping off a 40' high overpass on Wis. State Highway 10. Donations can be made to: VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine VIRGINIA TECH, DUCK POND DRIVE (0442) BLACKSBURG VA 24061-0001 540-231-7666 "My Mom had to pay half down up front and I'm on a payment plan. I talked to them 12/6/11. If someone was to call, ask for the business office. Say you'd like to make a donation to my account (James Ulmer) for the care of Ace. Also, if for some reason it was to go over what I have to pay at the moment, they can credit towards my account for the upcoming radiograms and check ups. I will keep you updated over the next months on Aces recovery. Thanks for all the help! Anyone that makes a donation, please call 540-421-8238, or send an email to jau250@vt.edu Thank you!" James Ulmer DONATIONS: $100 J. Carson Quarles $100 Norma H. Quarles $100 Carey Quarles Class of 1960 VA Tech $100 Karla Quarles Class of 1960 VA Tech $100 Vic Foti UPDATE 2/4/12: At the vet getting his last radiograph they told me his leg was healed and that he could now begin to walk on it. His other leg which I was told from the beginning was ok, looked a little funny. I insisted they do another x ray on that leg. They then told me he needed more surgery for another $3500. Different Vets said the radiographs from the beginning showed signs that he did needed surgery on both legs. They should have told me this from the beginning. I would have had a different decision with $7000 worth of surgery and a chance it wouldn't work 100%. Long story short. Enraged at the situation, after a month of long phone and email arguments with the VT vet administrator they have offered to pay $2500 to his surgery. They still will not admit to their mistake. Not really any other options I dropped it and took the offer. Ace had surgery yesterday. Everything went well and I get him back Monday. Wish us luck through this semester and him having a good recovery. I don't know if he will ever be able to be a turkey dog again... but you never know. I guess everything happens for a reason. Thanks for all the help!  "There are over 600
clubs and organizations here at Virginia Tech (only
1 duck hunting group and 1 skeet shooting). After this
semester I'm thinking of starting a turkey hunting club.
We have a lot of National Forest near VA Tech. I think I
can bring in a decent amount of members. I will introduce
turkey hunting with a dog to them and hopefully get a
younger crowd interested in this sport. Maybe you have
some ideas for me." Thanks, James
12/1/2011 (AWTHDA
member since 1/18/11).  Note to Readers: Here's
a chance to help someone who can make a difference to the
future of hunting. Call James and learn the details,
there's a lot more. Like his right hand being broken by a
saw log at the same time. And Ace having to wear the
plastic funnel over his head and live in a kennel when no
one is home. Rehab of Ace's stiff joints after 3 months in
a cast is going to take a long time. If you have a
tub/container/pool big enough for a dog to float in warm
water, that you can loan James for a few months, that will
help. He can use a lot of other help in a lot of ways,
like some experienced turkey doggers to take fellow
students hunting. If you have anything to contribute,
please call him at 540-421-8238. James' uncle Tom McMurray
from Lorton VA joined the AWTHDA a month after James.
Members can read Tom's comments on the Virginia fall
season and contact him on the VA page. |
 While this picture jokingly
refers to the hen being the enemy, many turkey hunters
(who have only hunted spring gobblers), may fail to
appreciate the critical position the hen has in the flock
hierarchy. Except for the spring breeding season (when the
hens are obviously in command of the toms), and for a few
months in the Winter, the males never associate with the
rest of the flock, only with other males. Males are only
dominant over other males and are rarely dominant over
females, except during the brief act of copulation. Hunt
turkeys in the Fall and you'll find they're all more
difficult to hunt than a gobbler in the Spring. Hens are
the ones in charge of the flock's safety all year long.
You see that in the Springtime, when they order the Toms
to follow them (rather than come to your call), in the
Summertime raising their young, in the Fall protecting the
family, and in the Winter when the Toms have joined the
flock. Hens are far more wary and responsible year round.
Especially more than the gobbler obsessed with just one
thing in the spring, when you see even old
timers
running
in to the gun . Try
hunting turkeys in the fall - your calling and
woodsmanship will have to improve. You'll see where the
term 'Boss
Hen' came
from. I'd rather shoot a gobbler if he was called in, but
never pass up the young of the year. They're the most
tender, particularly for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
I'll let the adult hens walk out of respect, and because
they're experienced in raising the young. Jon 7/2/11 |
| "I remember a pretty
incident in connection with a turkey hen demonstrating a
knowledge of character on her part. I had taken my stand
on the end of St. Eosas Island, off Pensacola, to watch
for deer that the hounds were driving. After my arrival a
turkey hen came skimming to the ground, and presently
walked toward a knoll of grass a few yards from my place
of concealment. Her anxious look and her feigned attitude
of indifference immediately showed that she was near her
nest, and taking a pocket spy-glass I carried with me to
watch the water channels, I presently saw her settle
herself down among some low willows, until nothing but her
head appeared. Shortly afterward a fox came by, and coming across the trail of the turkey he turned short about, and throwing up his shaxp nose, scented the different spears of grass the bird had touched, and then taking up her trail, commenced following it slowly and cautiously toward where she was sitting. With noiseless foot and undulating body he wound along in the trail, when suddenly, to my surprise, I saw the turkey hen leave her willow clump, and returning on her own trail, walk directly toward the fox. She picked hither and thither, in a nonchalant manner, and when within some ten or fifteen yards of her enemy, who had crouched in the sparse grass when he first saw her coming, she diverged slowly to the right, and the fox, as she turned aside, recommenced his crawlings, keeping his eye on the bird and leaving the trail he had been previously following. In this way they progressed some hundred yards in a direction contrary to her nest, when coming near a low tree, with a soft chuckle, which seemed to say, as plain as accent could make it, "What a fool you are!" she flitted up in the tree. The fox being then on open ground, at once knew himself discovered, and rising from his crouching position, after one or two longing looks, and a whimper of disappointment, trotted over the sandhills, and was lost to sight." Camp-fires Of The Everglades, Or, Wild Sports In The South  Charles
Edward Whitehead 1891 |
   "Here
are pictures of my 12 wk. old Brittany female named
Kee-Kee. I'm hopeful and excited about her progress thus
far. I thought about getting into turkey dogs for quite
some time. With turkey populations pretty high in my area,
I figure it's now or never. I'm very excited to be a part
of this organization and hope I can contribute in some
small way. Thank you for your efforts in passing on this     great tradition." Todd
Clemens - Richwood, WV 3/10/09This morning we went for a walk in 3" of fresh snow and Kee-Kee's good nose found turkey tracks right off the bat! We never did actually see them, but thought we heard them putting and calling. I was VERY pleased with this mornings events, this could get addicting very quickly. Good thing we were only out for a walk, because in WV and VA you can only train turkey dogs during the actual hunting season. Once Kee-Kee understands the rule book we'll have it made. Todd 3/13/09     Here's some new pictures of Kee-Kee, she weighs about 21 lbs. now. The ones where she's laying down, I make her stay, and run the wing over her, until I tell her to get it. The ones with the wing in the air she is barking and leaping after it. Todd 4/30/09 |
    "I called 5 fall '06
longbeards in with a wingbone call I made from a spring
'06 longbeard, and shot this one. His Radius bone had been
broken & healed. 20#, 10" beard, 1" spurs." JF |
  Here are a few pics of my
new Boykin puppy named Booger. He's showing a lot of promise, hope I don't mess him up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Steve Hudson - Appomattox VA |
  "I
found
these
pictures
of
me
with
Grandpa's
turkeys,
from
the
fall
of
1944
or
1945.
Mom always worryied about me being out and about with the
"flock", but I never had any fear. I remember helping
butcher the turkeys, they were hung upside down in the
barn while we plucked the feathers, and I got a quarter a
day! These pictures show the old summer kitchen (now long
gone), to the right of the main farmhouse, with all the
apple trees in front." Mary Ann S. - Kiel WI |
 "The
turkey's closest living relatives are the Asian pheasant
and the African guinea fowl. The American turkey and the
Asian pheasant are close enough genetically so that they
can be mated through artificial insemination and produce
offspring." The Asian
pheasants; argus,
golden,
silver,
Lady
Amherst, Reeves,
Impeyan,
tragopan or
horned (5 species), Sclater's,
Koklass,
Blood
and Chinese
pheasants inhabit the Himalayas and adjacent areas. The African
guinea fowl; White-Breasted,
Helmeted,
Plumed,
Crested,
Vulturine
and Black.
Did you know the word 'gobble' used to describe the sound
has been in the Oxford Dictionary since 1680? And like
some lizards and snakes, the turkey hen has the ability to
reproduce by parthenogenesis (without the gobbler). The Turkey: An American
Story. |
  "Until dogs
are allowed in the whole state we use a different method.
We lead a team of plow horses at an angle right up to the
turkeys, let go of the halters, stop, and let the horses
keep walking. When the horses get past the hunter, the
turkeys are caught flat-footed; boom! The key is making
sure their kick can't reach you when the gun goes off. We
call them our Turkey
Horses." David Edge - White Lake, WI |
|
The Chief Biologist from
Virginia said:
'In every state you look at, hunter effort for fall
turkeys is declining.' That's the same story heard in
Wisconsin,
and West
Virginia. And again in Virginia.
"It could be true considering the fall tradition has been nearly lost, and many hunters don't know how to use a dog. There's a misconception turkey dogs are wide ranging. But in today's urban landscape, and at my age, the close working dog suits me fine. How much interest would there be in pheasant or grouse hunting if you couldn't use a dog? Fall turkey hunting is no different. It can be done alone, but it's always more fun hunting birds with a dog. The only game more challenging to hunt than fall gobblers is sheep and goats, that's for sure. The archers who hesitate to run through the woods chasing turkeys with a quiver full of broadheads can particularly benefit from a trained dog breaking up the flock, so they can call the bir  ds in a
controlled manner. Fall hunter participation is not
down for lack of turkeys, but lack of awareness. It's
too bad there's so few left who know how it's done.
Maybe it's too much competition with the other fall
hunting there is. Some say us fall turkey dog
hunters are a dying breed, but me and my dog still do
our part." Shorty Adams - Buffalo Gap,
SD
Photos
©
Monte LoomisSurveys indicate we are a dying breed, and show a decline in both the total number of hunters and the total amount spent by hunters. Overall participation dropped 4% from 2001 to 2006, and 10% from 1996 to 2006. Who's going to fund our wildlife management and Fish & Game budgets? 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (pdf) |
| In the 1960's, Pennsylvania State University
researchers conducted experiments to determine the minimum
stimulus it takes to excite a male turkey, utilizing a
model hen. When they removed parts of the model, including
the tail, feet and wings, the male still continued to
gobble and mate. All the male needs is a wooden turkey
head on a stick for the gobbler to become aroused and
mount. Next time you wonder if your calling & decoy
are good enough for spring gobblers, remember the head
on a stick. "Back when turkey decoys were illegal in Alabama, the alternative was the old coke can on a stick." Ralph Scherffius   "After
reading about this enticing research, I decided to try a
homemade stick decoy. I used a jake fan and a small red
soda can and rubbed the stick in the mud to dull it up a
bit. The first morning I put it out, a double bearded
gobbler walked in to my tail on a stick, eyeing it the
whole time, and stopping to strut occasionally, until he
got close enough to my 20 gage. I know it works, picture
attached. 7AM 4/17/08 2 beards 10” & 4”, 18 lbs., 1”
spurs. The mount depicts his last wing flap as he flew
down. Patty N. WI  Thanks for loaning me your decoy, Patty. This grey-phased bearded hen heard our calling, then saw your homemade decoy, and walked right in. When we prepared the meat for my favorite turkey jerky, we found she was the fattest bird we had ever seen in spring! Apparently she didn't waste energy mating or nesting, so everything she ate went right into fat. Thanks again for the decoy that helped me get this unusual bird. I'll use her white-tipped tail fan for my own decoy and see how that works. Aaron F. Madison WI 5/08 |
 This
is
Gunners
first
kill
at age 4 1/2 months, when we hunted with Ron Meek and a
few others at The
Roost. It was sunny and 60 degrees, but
that night it started to rain, and for the next three
days. Gunner got a break on Monday, but we could not get
the birds to come in. On Tuesday, we hunted the Gravel
Bank Farm. When we drove up the dirt road, as we turned
the corner, there are 2 jakes, a few hens and deer running
into the woods. Ron let Jinger Lou and Gretchen off the
leash  and
they ran ahead. I kept Gunner leashed until we got closer.
When I let him off the leash, he tore up the road and
started to bark and yip. Birds start to flush. We set up -
I went to the East against a big hemlock. Called a bit,
but nothing at all. About 2 hours later, I hear a soft kee
kee to the East and return the call on my Cox trumpet.
Gunner tries to stand up in the bag and starts to growl
real low. I get him to lay down and I see the bird
at 50 yards. He makes it to about 35 yards and Gunner is
wanting at this bird bad. I get the bead on the bird and
Boom he goes down, rolls a bit and is flopping. I let
Gunner go to the bird. I figure he has it under control.
The picture with him at the turkey is when I got to him.
Not bad for an 20 week old pup. In case you're wondering,
he's wearing a Garmin
Astro
220
with
the
New Dc-40 Collar , it
sure gives us some peace of mind.
Job
Seger - Coal Township, PA 10/15/10 |
    Finally made a hatband of wild turkey spurs. J.F. |
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