Echo and I headed into the hills just as we’d done the past four days. But this time was different. This time, the flock of turkeys was right where we needed them, feeding uphill into a patch of thinned Douglas fir trees.

I watched through binoculars as the flock continued moving uphill, 250 yards away. Echo, my eight-year-old pudelpointer at the time, watched too. She knew exactly what was happening.

When the mixed flock of 15 birds reached the trees, I sent Echo in. She covered ground fast; she always does when busting up a flock of fall turkeys. Sword ferns grew tall on the sparsely vegetated forest floor, hiding Echo’s approach, yet allowing her to quickly close the distance. She took them by surprise, getting mere feet from the birds before the whole flock flushed into the trees above.

I watched Echo search, nose to the ground. No birds held. I gave two beeps on her e-collar, and she sprinted back to me. She never made a sound.

We hiked around the back side of the hill, out of sight from the turkeys. Nestling against a giant, moss-covered stump from an old growth fir that had been logged over a century prior, I settled in. Echo laid at my feet, fern fronds draped over her brown coat. Shaking with excitement, eyes wide open, Echo knew what was next.

Less than 10 minutes passed before the turkeys started talking. That’s when I let out a series of kee-kees on a diaphragm call. The reassembly notes got more birds talking and soon they began hitting the ground. I called again, more aggressively this time. Two hens came in first. They walked within eight paces of us. Echo held stone still, silent, trembling in anticipation.

A jake flew from a tree and landed near us. Behind it came a tom. At 12 yards, the payload of Apex TSS from my little .410 hit the mark. Echo tried retrieving the gobbler, but it was too much for her in the tall ferns.

Echo’s first fall turkey hunt took place when she was 11 months old. That flock held, and she pointed them. She’s been on many fall turkey hunts over the years, as has my male pudelpointer, Kona. It’s one of their favorite hunts of the year. Mine too.

Training Bird Dogs to Hunt Turkeys

From the time I brought them home, I began training both dogs to hunt for fall turkeys. It started with wing training, first on a drag, then hiding them to search. Turkey wings are big, and cutting them in half at the elbow joint allows for two training tools per wing. I also use turkey tails for training, leaving the fat and oil glands intact for added scent.

Save turkey wings and tails from both fall and spring birds, keeping them in the freezer for year-round training. Thaw them out a couple hours prior to training, then refreeze them when you’re done. They last a long time.

Fall turkey hunting with a dog isn’t like other upland hunts. Turkey hunts can unfold in various ways at any given moment. Often, the best laid plans change, sometimes multiple times in a single hunt. It’s the uncertainty that makes it so fun. For this reason, disciplined training and restraint are key, as with everything gun dog related. During the hunt, you’ll need to communicate with your dog, visually, verbally, and with beeps of the e-collar.

Tracking turkeys is innate for dogs. These big birds leave a lot of scent on the ground, and once detected, your dog will engage like nothing you’ve seen.

When tracked, turkeys often hold just like quail. Sometimes cover is sparse, just enough to cover a tom’s head, with the rest of the body being exposed. This is where a controlled point is essential. I’ve found lone toms to hold best. Fall bachelor flocks often hold, but typically do so in dense cover, making it easier for a dog to retain point until you catch up.

Using a Dog to Hunt Turkeys

Hunting turkeys with a dog, especially sending your dog to bust up a fall flock of turkeys with the intent of calling them back in, is where discipline is essential. I first trained Echo to do this at close-range on birds, with no intent to shoot. Because the last thing we want is a dog busting other upland birds or flocks of waterfowl on the ground, the key is educating your pup so it understands turkeys are different. Dogs are smart, they’ll get it.

I trained my dog Echo on fall flocks of turkeys, getting close to them in timber, then sending her in on the run. I never bust up a flock on open ground; those are birds we track with the dogs and point. If a dog barks during the breakup, I hush it. I want the flush to be quiet and natural, as it is with a coyote or bobcat.

Once a dog reaches a flock, multiple scenarios can unfold. Every bird might fly into the trees, some might hold while others flush, or some or all of the birds might run and scatter; your dog will know what’shappening before you do, and this is where you let them go and trust their reaction.

If all birds flush into the trees, your dog will quickly know none held on the ground. If one or more turkeys held, your dog should quickly stick a point. If some birds tree, some hold, but one or two turkeys run, the dog may start tracking the runners. This is where I let them choose the hunt.

When training for the breakup, I quickly follow a dog into the action so I can communicate with it and let it know what’s right and wrong. Normally, the dogs are right in whatever they do, they just need confirmation, as much of what happens goes against how they’ve been taught to hunt.

The first time a dog hunts turkeys and trees a whole flock, I quickly approach and calmly leash it, quietly leading it out of the trees. Once out of sight, I praise the pup. This might take a couple times before you can call a dog back to you once they’ve treed a flock. The goal is to pull them away without the turkeys seeing or hearing you.

The first time you call your dog away from a treed flock of turkeys while training, call the birds back in. This teaches the dog what’s happening, allowing them to make the connection as to why they busted the flock. Once they get it, they’ll often tree birds and sprint back to you at the first signal because they know what’s coming. Get your pup, heel it, and hike around to the flock, out of sight. Remain hidden from theturkeys the whole time and stay quiet. You want the birds thinking a coyote flushed them. If they see or hear you, they won’t come to a call.

Get as close to the flock as you can without being seen. As soon as they start making kee-kee assembly calls in the trees, you do the same. The sounds are best mimicked with a diaphragm call. Start with subtle notes. As bird communication escalates, deliver louder and more frequent calls. The objective is to imitate a young turkey that’s hit the ground and is looking to rejoin the flock.

Where I hunt, cover is thick, so I don’t need a blind for my dogs. Instead, I tuck them into ferns, Scotch broom, or tall grass. Setting up in shadows helps conceal a dog. As birds approach, your pup has to stay still and keep quiet. This is where daily, disciplined training pays off.

Scouting for Turkey Hunting

You can predict how a turkey hunt with a dog might unfold, but you never know for certain what the outcome will be. When it comes to tracking turkeys, it’s wide open, just as it is with pheasant, quail, and grouse. It’s also very direct, making it easy for your dog as they only have one goal.

If busting up a flock, look for precise factors before sending a dog. I want a flock to be feeding uphill or into cover. If caught by surprise while moving uphill, turkeys are more likely to spring into trees because they can’t run uphill fast enough to escape predators. If caught on flat ground like valley floors, farmland, or river bottoms, turkeys will often launch into the trees when busted up, but some may hold while others run for cover. For me, if the timing and setting aren’t right, I won’t send a dog in. This may take several days to pull-off, and this is where scouting helps.

I run trail cameras and scout for turkeys year-round. For fall hunting purposes, I’m monitoring the buildup and movement of turkey flocks. Pattern where they’re moving, and when. Note that fall food sources are continually shifting, and this dictates where turkeys will be. Early fall hunts where grasshoppers flourish and young birds are hungry can lead to quick success. Fresh rains may bring out earth worms on open hillsides, which attract turkeys. Berries, fruits, and rosehips can find turkeys working an area for many days in a row, as can insects in various habitats. Once you know where birds are, and understand why, you’llbe able to plan the hunt.

Be patient, for if all is not right, it may not be the time to send a dog on a breakup run. Then again, if tracking is your goal, that can be done anytime.

When tracking, I like hunting turkeys with both dogs. Echo has always tracked with her nose to the ground. Kona, who is nearly two hands taller than Echo, tracks with his head held high. They complement one another perfectly when tracking turkeys.

Last fall, I caught a lone tom on trail camera. Every morning between 10:00 and 11:00 it walked along a sparsely wooded ridge, feeding as it moved. It was quite a hike to reach where I wanted to hunt, so I hopped on my electric bike. Kona followed, and after quietly covering over two miles, we were on the hunt. The wind held steady, and Kona worked it. He first picked up turkey tracks on a worn deer and elk trail.

Cresting a small rise, Kona caught wind of the tom. Head high, Kona’s pace quickened. I couldn’t keep up. A few hundred yards later, I found Kona locked on point in a briar patch, on the outside edge of the forest. When I reached Kona I could see the back of the tom, laying flat, sprawled out as they often do. Kona couldn’t see it. I moved in for the flush, but the tom couldn’t take wing in the tangled mess of thorny blackberries. It busted out, running down the trail. Kona stood still, knowing not to chase. The shot hit the mark, and soon Kona was delivering the 21-pound tom to hand.

Over the years, I’ve shared dozens of memorable fall turkey hunts with my dogs. Since they’ve been with us, both have helped put wild turkey on the dinner table every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Kona’s eight years old now, Echo 10. Once you experience the intensity and sheer joy of fall turkey with your dog, it will become as much of a tradition as the holidays, themselves.