Market Farming

[Leigh <lh AT pressroom.com>]

In our area you are encouraged to shoot any dog that bothers your 
livestock.  Especially if they are in packs.

Last year I heard some howling up by the turkey yard.  I grabbed my 
shotgun and went running.  There were two hounds pointing at the 
turkeys and barking. I raised my gun, aimed at the largest dog, put 
my finger on the trigger, started to squeeze and the hounds looked at 
me and smiled with their tongues hanging and their tails wagging.

I didn't shoot.

There was a phone number on one of the collars so I called.  The 
woman was upset.  "I let my husband's West Virginia turkey hounds out 
this  morning and they took off.  She lived ten miles away.

Talk about specialized breeding.  Ten miles in two hours and they 
found my turkeys.  She drove out right away to pick up the dogs 
before her husband got home from work.

Two weeks ago someone's dog came by in the middle of the night and 
killed a turkey. It wasn't a West Virginia Turkey Hound.