Dennis Campbell and 'Turk' - The Brittany Spaniel turkey hunting dog from the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia

Having hunted turkeys in Virginia since a child, now for over 50 years, I have seen many changes. Up until 1962, there was fall hunting only for turkeys. Although I spring hunt, I still love to chase birds in the fall, calling them up for others and teaching youngsters.

For many years I hunted turkeys throughout the mountains of Virginia on foot, looking for sign, occasionally calling, finding and flushing turkeys, and all without a dog. Although I enjoyed the solitude of this type of hunting, I was very much aware of the old time art of hunting turkeys with a dog in Virginia. I had just not had that experience. In latter years, I had the pleasure of meeting John and J.T. Byrne and also the legendary Kit Shaffer. Their knowledge and hunting expertise sparked my interest in fall hunting with a dog.

In the mean time, through the NWTF, I met and hunted with Chuck Rodamer of Harrisonburg, VA. Chuck’s Brittany Spaniel, 'Turk' was a great dog, which barked well and covered a lot of territory. I decided to purchase a Brittany and I named him the 'Turk-a-nator'. My granddaughter fell in love with Chuck’s dog, whose name was 'Turk'. So, we registered my dog as Mr. Turk of Shenandoah and called him 'Turk II'. Inherently a Brittany does not bark a lot, but with training they do come around. Turk II is now 6 years old, barks well, loves to hunt and holds in a blind extremely well.
Last year, I hunted in VA, NC, WV and NY. With the exception of Virginia, I believe I like the New York dairy country best. I have had the opportunity to meet many nice people there with whom I have shared fall turkey hunting with my dog. Virginia, I believe, with all of its hunting heritage, remains the premier fall turkey hunting state.

The 2006 fall turkey season in Virginia should be a great one. There have been numerous reports of sightings of hens with poults throughout Virginia, indicating a good hatch. One weekend, recently, I took a ride through the National Forest near my cabin and saw several small flocks crossing the remote Forest Service roads. It was a great day to be afield observing nature. A number of hunters, who pay to hunt my 2400 acres in Albemarle County, have called to report sightings of small flocks on that property. For the most part, they are deer hunters but call me with reports about turkeys they observe. This past spring was successful for both my brother Ben and I here in Virginia. We also limited out on our annual trip to New York. The people who own a dairy farm in New York have become very goods friends and have been to "Smoke Rise", my cabin here in Virginia to deer hunt. Last year, they harvested two bucks, one of which, was a very nice 9 pointer, and also a doe. They will be coming again this fall to try their hand at hunting whitetails with a muzzleloader and possibly take a day or two to hunt behind my dog, Turk. Thanks for all the hard work maintaining our website, and many thanks for your dedication to our sport. Dennis Campbell

Turk is getting a little age on him now (13 yrs old), but still going strong. I do have a new Brittany pup, “Morgan” (after my middle name) that is in training. She did quite well, running with Turk and learning the ropes. We took several youngsters turkey hunting in upstate New York, with it's beautiful scenery and wonderful people. I am blessed to have made many friends there. And brother Ben and I endured the weather and got our limits again this year in Virginia.

Dennis
Cambell with his 2 wild turkey hunting dogs Turk and
Morgan

beautiful upstate new york dairy country is
prime turkey hunting

hunters
helping kids http://www.huntershelpingkids.com/

I pursued an initiative to get a youth-only whitetail hunting day in Virginia and the first one was held on September 26, 2009. For over 30 years I've been involved with the NWTF, the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, and now Hunters Helping Kids. We involve them in the great outdoors, help youngsters foster a deep appreciation of our natural resources, and plant the seeds of resource stewardship in the minds and hearts of tomorrow’s leaders. I truly believe this is one of the best organizations in the nation. We need sportsmen and sports-women who are willing to give a little of their time to help with our mission. If you can, please contact Dennis Campbell 487 Kindig Rd, Waynesboro, VA 22980 (540) 946-8447 and thank you very much!

"A Brittany pup once chewed a hole in an expensive hunting coat. I scolded him at the time.
Now he is 20 years gone, and that patch never fails to bring tears to my eyes." Aaron Fraser Pass