A turkey flush

I spent Sunday with my two hunting partners, one that has two legs and one that has four, in Dunn and Chippewa Counties (WI). We spotted significant numbers of pheasants in NW Dunn county, but unfortunately, they were all intelligent enough to be on private land. Toward the end of the day we shifted to Dunnville Bottoms on the Chippewa River. As darkness approached, my golden, while working the base of a hillside, took a hard left into some tall grass. After she made several revolutions and hard tail thumps, I was in position, convinced that I was going to get a crack at an end-of-the-day bird. She lunged, and out popped not a pheasant, not a grouse, but a turkey, and a big one at that! It was flapping hard, trying to get altitude and airspeed, until it finally drifted off to some pines farther up on the hillside. Samantha, my golden, nearly bit off more than she could chew. While this was a first for us, a turkey flush like this must have happend to someone else.

One time years ago.I was running my female setter doing a little pre-season leg work and she locks down real hard.Real thick cover and I kick out a turkey.Talk about a rush.My setter didn’t know what to think .
Ryan Hale

One time years ago.I was running my female setter doing a little pre-season leg work and she locks down real hard.Real thick cover and I kick out a turkey.Talk about a rush.My setter didn’t know what to think .
Ryan Hale

I’ve had my buddy’s german shorthair point a turkey before and you’re right, it’s quite a surprise. She’s pointed a lot of things…. quail, grouse, coons, skunks, cats, owls, ducks, lots of rabbits and mice,…. pretty much anything that smells and stays hidden she’s pointed. The points are different too. Pheasants are generally a rock solid point if the bird right there but with the rabbits she’ll ofen be moving the tail or her head won’t be steady.

Last week my buddy’s young short hair pointed a skunk. It was a weird point… she’d stop and point then jump around a bit then point some more. It was on that extremely windy Wednesday. We were in a tiny waterway that didn’t have more than a 3 ft wide strip of grass. Well… you can probably guess the rest of the story. I went in to flush the bird and I literally stepped on the skunk. I took off running and yelling at the dog to get away. My buddy was about 100 yds away and saw the commotion and knew it was either a coon or a skunk so he tried to shock the dog but the collar wasn’t working (shows how much we shock this dog). We both got clear of the skunk but then it walked out of the waterway into the bean field. When the dog saw this she took off after the skunk. I didn’t dare take a chance of trying to shot the skunk before the dog got to it. She got sprayed a little… I think the high winds helped save her. She pointed a rooster about 15 minutes later then we took her in to wash her down with Skunk Off. This dog’s a house dog… she’ll even jump in bed with my buddies wife. The Skunk Off worked pretty good.

One more thing… don’t be afraid to ask permission to hunt private ground. I’m granted premission more often than I’m turned down.

Boone

I’ve had my buddy’s german shorthair point a turkey before and you’re right, it’s quite a surprise. She’s pointed a lot of things…. quail, grouse, coons, skunks, cats, owls, ducks, lots of rabbits and mice,…. pretty much anything that smells and stays hidden she’s pointed. The points are different too. Pheasants are generally a rock solid point if the bird right there but with the rabbits she’ll ofen be moving the tail or her head won’t be steady.

Last week my buddy’s young short hair pointed a skunk. It was a weird point… she’d stop and point then jump around a bit then point some more. It was on that extremely windy Wednesday. We were in a tiny waterway that didn’t have more than a 3 ft wide strip of grass. Well… you can probably guess the rest of the story. I went in to flush the bird and I literally stepped on the skunk. I took off running and yelling at the dog to get away. My buddy was about 100 yds away and saw the commotion and knew it was either a coon or a skunk so he tried to shock the dog but the collar wasn’t working (shows how much we shock this dog). We both got clear of the skunk but then it walked out of the waterway into the bean field. When the dog saw this she took off after the skunk. I didn’t dare take a chance of trying to shot the skunk before the dog got to it. She got sprayed a little… I think the high winds helped save her. She pointed a rooster about 15 minutes later then we took her in to wash her down with Skunk Off. This dog’s a house dog… she’ll even jump in bed with my buddies wife. The Skunk Off worked pretty good.

One more thing… don’t be afraid to ask permission to hunt private ground. I’m granted premission more often than I’m turned down.

Boone

Good post Boone Could you give us some more info on Skunk Off?

Thanks!

Good post Boone Could you give us some more info on Skunk Off?

Thanks!

I don’t hunt my dog anymore because of her age but she definately had a diffrent point for what was in front of her. I could tell if it was a rooster or hen most of the time. I’ve almost steped on a hen turkey one time, its a rush for shure. Everybody half way satisfied with thier bird hunting this year?

I don’t hunt my dog anymore because of her age but she definately had a diffrent point for what was in front of her. I could tell if it was a rooster or hen most of the time. I’ve almost steped on a hen turkey one time, its a rush for shure. Everybody half way satisfied with thier bird hunting this year?

Yeah the turkey thing is likely down here, we have quite a few.Its not surprising when you get close to some timber to start flushing them. Were there is one there is usually a few more,it is a little suprising to see those big birds trying to get out of the grass and up in the air.

Yeah the turkey thing is likely down here, we have quite a few.Its not surprising when you get close to some timber to start flushing them. Were there is one there is usually a few more,it is a little suprising to see those big birds trying to get out of the grass and up in the air.

Skunk off is sold at pet stores, its a white bottle with a skunk on it. It works pretty good, make sure you follow the directions on the bottle and dont wet your dog down before use. I’ve been lucky that I havent had to use it for a few years but keep a couple of bottles around just in case.

Skunk off is sold at pet stores, its a white bottle with a skunk on it. It works pretty good, make sure you follow the directions on the bottle and dont wet your dog down before use. I’ve been lucky that I havent had to use it for a few years but keep a couple of bottles around just in case.